secretary of state is the republican nominee, and in this cane is running as an independent. coming up, president obama has a rally at the university of colorado at >> welcome back to our ongoing debate for the candidates for the 1st district in rhode island. we are recovering from storm sandy that did a huge amount of damage to many coastal homes. but that brings up an issue of federal flood insurance.

and i had a question from a viewer should taxpayers provide incentives to healthy americans, not all coast home owners are wealthy but to build and rebuild by subsidizing their insurance? what do you say to that? should taxpayers do that? >> because federal insurance is subsidized by taxpayers, it encourages people to build and rebuild because they've got insurance. >> they should pay their fair share so i'm sure that insurance rates are very high in those areas. >> i never liked federal subsidized insurance on the coast so no. >> so your saying that people's homes who are washed away if they want to rebuild they pay for it themselves?

>> i have no problem with. that my parents have a summer house. if that's where they want to put their house, that's their choice. their going to live with the consequences. i have no problem with that. >> insurance provides insurance to homes and small businesses. it's important they be done in a balanced way and recognize there are important consequences of these huge catast fees and we need to have insurance available but i think i know i speak for everyone in rhode island that our hearts and prayers go out to the people in new york and new jersey where lives were lost. and i think we saw on the television the devastation and every person in rhode island feels a deep sense of loss for them. >> continue the federal insurance program? >> yes. i think it needs to be reformed but i support the program.

>> i want to bring up another question brought up by a viewer and it relates to the war on drugs. and two of you made your career on drugs. one as an attorney defending drug dealers one as a cop chasing drug dealers. the prohibition in recreational drugs has succeeded in creating drug cartels, it's created crime in this country that is using up resources both to lock people up and to chase people down. so 17 states have medical marijuana. should the federal government classify marion as a schedule one drug which makes it worse than cocaine or hoirn. >> no i haven't been but i did

live for a while in central america and i had some friends who worked for drug interdiction for the united states government. i asked them sit true that about 2.7 sents out of ever dollar on drug interdiction does the job. they said yes that's right. if you're in the drug biz or thinking about going into the drug business, think about this for a minute. >> well if i go into the drug business, i have a 97% chance of success. if you compare that to the chance of failure if you do a legitimate start up anywhere in the world. what you have to asay to yourself is if you have a 97% chance of going into the drug

business then why not, let's go do it. 97% of all the money we spend on drug interdiction is going down the rat hole. if we made it legal, we would as you pointed out the drug cartels we would put a serious dent in them and they might i go away. we would be able to tax it. if you look at the states that have medical marijuana in this country it is now understood that the marijuana legalization is helping lift those committees out of their own recessions. >> is it time to end the prohibition? >> yeah, i think that should be respected. i have had the occasion to hear from the sponsor of that bill who has now passed away. but i think everyone is familiar with people who are surfing from terrible diseases and pain and the legislature here has proved that with the

obvious safeguards. i think there has got to be a way to accommodate the medicinal use of marijuana. >> would you remove marijuana from schedule one? >> i don't know if that's the only way to do it but if it is then yes. >> the governor has asked the federal government to do. mr. doherty how do you feel about continuing the prohibition of marijuana? >> you're talking about the drug wars and the violence associated with drug wars. and superintendent of the police before i retired we took down the largest seizure of cocaine. >> you made a career out of doing this so how can you be objective as to with whether we can devote these resource rs. >> there is lots of money and violence because it's illegal.

>> that's an ongoing war we've had. we need to continue that. we don't want drugs on the street. but as it relates to marijuana there is two issues there. you're talking fbt for medical use of marijuana and legalizing marijuana or decriminal liesing it. it's a wrong message we're sending to our kids to decriminal lies it. massachusetts did it, it's not working for them. there's a direct correlation between the chemical in marion and suicide. so i'm against decriminalization of marijuana. medical use of marijuana i'm for that. it's up to the united states attorney to step up and actually come out with something for the states that it's either legal or it's not. >> we have another question

from a gentleman who is an immigration activist from lincoln. he points out there is no limit to undocumented students schools must educate or the number of women hospitals must deliver maternity services to. not to mention rhode island has tuition for undock meanted people. is this a drain on our economy? let's start with you mr. doherty. >> sit a drain on the local economy? yes, it is. but we need comprehensive immigration reform. we've been talking about that for years. this administration said they would do that four years ago and it hasn't been done. just a political employ just a few months ago this administration put through their version of the dream act which doesn't make sense to me

because it would leave some family members out and some would be safe. so we need comprehensive immigration reform. i just talked about some drug cases. in my career i focused on people who were here unlawfulfully who had committed crimes. that's a whole separate issue. in my view if someone is in this country illegally and they've committed a felony they should be deported immediately. and to that point, there is what's called an illegal reentry and this happens quite often where someone is arrested then they find the law enforcement finds they were here ten years before and arrested, incarcerated tried incarcerated deported and back again. so there is a great expense. but people who came to this country unlawfulfully but haven't committed a crime since they've been here, they're trying to raise a family and that's what we need immigration

reform for. >> so what is your suggestion to deal with those people who are not breaking any laws other than immigration law? >> we need to draw these people from the shadows to a path of legitimate massey. we need to know who is here in this country. we're in a post 9/11 era. i had the clearance and i've sat in meetings pertaining people who have come here from the middle east that don't like this country too much. so there is a whole host of issues we need to address. >> you're saying not am necessary ti but what? >> to find who is here and come up with immigration reform. democrats and republicans working together. i know the congressman doesn't espouse that same view because he can't work with republicans. 97% of the time he's voted with democrats fpblet we need people to reach across the table and

find common ground to this. this president promised this country he would fix this and it hasn't been fixed. >> first of all, i'm happy to work with republicans when it's in the best interest of rhode island and i've done that. let me talk about immigration reform. i think we need comprehensive reform. there is a bipartisan bill the problem is the republicans don't have it on their agenda and won't bring it up. it starts with securing our borders. making sure individuals haven't committed crimes and paid their taxes etc. but the biggest difference is he opposes the dream act. the dream act is called the dream act because these kids are dreamers. these are kids that came to the united states with their parents when they were children, who have done everything right. this is the only home they know. they are going to school. they've served us in afghanistan and iraq and what

the president said in supporting the dream act and why i support it these people have only known our country. they've been in afghanistan in harm's way. they deserve to be here. >> you didn't want when you were mayor your police force to abide by the security communities -- >> what i didn't want is for them to do the work of the imdwration service. >> you were turning finger prints over to the f.b.i. >> we worked with ice and turned over people when they were arrested. that is the responsibility of the federal government. we can't put that on the towns anywhere in this country. >> you can have the last word on this topic. >> there are three or four different issues. the original question was about rhode island and the drain on the resources. i've looked at that and the

drain on the resources is pretty minimal because the number of undock meanted here who utilize the resources this gentleman is talking about is small, only in the dozens. so i'm not going to worry about the drain in rhode island because the numbers don't bear that out. >> what do they contribute to the economy? >> a lot of them have jobs. just because their undock meanted doesn't mean they don't work. i have a good friend who i won't name who is self-plode. he employees several americans and makes well over 100,000 a year but i have no problem with that sort of thing. i have no problem with the idea just because you're undock meanted you're a drain on the resources. you could be a very productive

member of society you're just undock meanted. >> really quickly the dream act has been passed by the house of representatives several times. it's been hung up in the senate. it's the senators from texas and arizona that keep voting no. yes we need comprehensive immigration reform but we need 30 more days to talk about the issues. >> let's talk about something that's been an issue in this campaign about it's who is going to caucus with who when you get down to congress and what that will mean? i know the democratic campaign has painted the republican as romney ryan. i know you accused the congressman of not being able to work with others of the other party. as the independent who are you going to caucus with?

>> i grew up as a liberal. i grew up in rhode island which means by default i'm a democrat. the rules of rhode island allow me to run as an independent. i don't agree with everything the democrats do. would i caucus more or less with the democrats? more. i'm a liberal. i don't agree with everything they do. republicans have good ideas, democrats have good ideas. sparse i'm concerned the only people i care about are voters. i don't have a corporate backer or take any campaign doe inflammation nations. there is a reason for that. i would caucus with the democrats. that doesn't mean i wouldn't shun the democrats if i felt they were out of line. i would go with the republicans where i saw the good ideas. >> would you vote for mr. bainer as speaker and if so the follow up question before you answer the first question is

what issue have you identified where you could vote with the democrats? >> in this campaign or? >> no when you get to washington? >> you asked if i would vote for john boehner so i don't know. i would vote for a republican speaker. let me mention since we're talking about the lack of bipartisan ship. congressman's budget which is an impressive budget it wasn't supported by his own party. so we need people that can come up with bipartisan solutions reach across the table. i'm in the center. he's so far to the left there is no coming home for him. he's not your father's democrat, he's not a john f. kennedy democrat.

he's got his own agenda. >> where is the center you could shake hands with a democrat over the table? >> can i? >> yeah, which issue? >> there are plenty of issues. bringing the corporate tax rate down. i think it's a great idea that he came up with and prick supported -- president clinton supported that. >> i'm proud to have the support of president clinton who said the progressive version is the best and it was the budget that most invested in putting america back into the future business because it protects social security, medicare and makes america competitive internationally. so i think president clinton is a ranl guy and thought it was a great budget number one. number two i've worked with

republicans. we should try to work together. i've worked on the fight to end the war in afghanistan. but the reality is there are big differences between democrats and republicans in washington. mr. doherty is a republican he's committed to more tax breaks for mill nares to repealing obama care and starteding the process all over again whofment are committed to subsidies for big oil and ending the guarantee of medicare. when you put them in power you make the chances of their agenda more of a reality. it matters a lot who we send there. the president put forth the american jobs act. . the president of the united states. he never got a hearing or a vote because the house decide he wasn't going to get one. i'm proud of rhode island values, protecting medicare, social security, rebuilding, making sure we get people back

to work. protecting pell grants. these are rhode island values. passing the buffet role. no more tax breaks for the people at the top. let those expire. so those are rhode island values. so you can call me lib ral and call names. those values reflect the values of the people of rhode island. >> i didn't mean to interrupt you. >> president clinton also talked about multinationals may be teverted to locate to other countries with your progressive budget so it's not good for america oriery. you're ideas are not good for rhode island congressman. >> let me ask you about one thing he said. >> pell grants. i vote for pell grants. social security and medicare, i've been talking for months about making it stronger, making these programs stronger and protecting social security and medicare.

something he's been distorting the campaign. he's run a 3-d campaign of distraction. >> let's get on the slogans i want to bring up the social security issue. a couple of viewers wrote in about. this we've only got a minute to talk about it. is social security a ponzi scheme. how can social security be adjusted so the commitments will be honored? >> you got about 15 seconds on this one? >> social security really isn't fundamentally brokened and it could be fixed easily. according to the office within the next ten years we're only going to have increase of maybe a few00 billion dollars. that could be taken from somewhere else. >> the trust fund stated by 2033 it will be out of money. i've embraced the simpson boles

plan. it's a bipartisan plan which and they talk about raising the wage cap. >> mr. cicilline. >> i believe we have to -- it raise it is retirement age and cuts benefits. it's dead wrong. >> we have to go to closing statements now and our first candidate is david vogel. >> thank you for everybody beinging here. >> these days for expediently to pay attention to wall street than they do to mainstreet. this has led us to a federal legislature that regards the electorate than a convenient resource to be exemployeded. something happened today it is so poinyent this is why we need independents in congress. in the wake of hurricane sandy

we saw governor christy and president obama not just side by side but pracing each other for their common concern and shared focus and placing the needs of the people first and to ensure whatever needed to be done, would be done. for anybody who thought this natural disaster would be the kick in the pants to work together finally. something happened this afternoon that absolutely shatters that. a republican rally in the state of virginia featured governor mcdonnell. they were for senate candidate allen. he was a failure of a president whose reelection would be bad for virginia and bad for the united states. doesn't matter which side you look at if you take governor christy's view that president obama is the savior for new jersey or that he's an absolute

failure. the fact is an act of god couldn't bring democrats and republicansing to in this country. that's why we need an independent in congress. >> congressman cicilline. >> thank you for hosting this debate. as this campaign comes to a close i want to thank the people of rhode island who shared their ideas with me in this campaign and their time. one of the things i continue to hear from so many is frustration. there is no question washington is broken. folks feel like the system is rigged against them and they're right. big oil and big business have too much power in washington. we have to fight for the middle class. middle class families have been hollowed out in this recession. nearly 60,000 people in rhode island are out of work. thousands of seniors worried about the future of medicare and our national debt continues

to grow. at the same time republicans are fighting to end made carry, fighting for more tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. these are not the right choices oriery and not the right choices for our country. it matters a lot who we send to washington. i'll continue to fight for medicare and social security. to pass the buffet rule so billionaires and millionaires don't have a lower tax rate than middle class families, protect pell grants and stand up for women. these are rhode island values. it's been my honor to represent you in congress congress and i ask for your vote. i promise that i'll continue to work hard every single day for the issues important to you and to your family. >> thank you. and the final closing statement for you mr. doherty. >> thank you for having me here.

i want to thank everyone and our host. this is an incredibly important time in our nation's history. this is the greatest country in the world and we are all privileged to be able to say we're americans. however washington is broken and we need independent thinkers who can sit down at the table and find common sense solutions to problems. we need to bring jobs to america and jobs to rhode island through bipartisan ship and get away from the gridlock that has hurt this country for so long. we need solution for are problems. through this cooperate tive spirit we need reform, strong healthcare and a robust energy policy. we need to eliminate corruption in government while at the same time protect social security and medicare. we need to cut back on our $16 trillion debt in sensible ways.

but the most important factor in sending someone to congress that represents us is trust. this election really comes down to an evaluation of trust, who you trust. during the next few days you have an opportunity to examine our values and our principles and vision for bringing america forward to a land of endless opportunity. but at the end of your careful examination, you need to examine the character of the candidate of your choice. character counts. my name is gran den doherty i ask for your vote. >> i appreciate it and i want to thank the audience here that's been so well-behaved. give yourself a round of aplause.

>> just a few programming notes the second crongal debate will be tell viced tomorrow at 7:30. and the next debate will be the next day at 7:30. i want to thank you and the american democracy project here at rick. our partners in these programs, these are so beneficial to the program. so much better than listening to the television ads a lot of which i know none of are you responsible for in this new world of campaigning. so it's a great opportunity to get out here and talk about the issues. i know the viewers appreciate it very much and of course the polls are open on tuesday and everybody who is paying attention tonight should have a good idea of who they want to vote for. so for everybody here, thank

you for joining us. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> i regard medicare as not just a program but a promings. i was raised by my grandparent and got to see how medicare worked at a young age. they paid in throughout their working lives. we have to strengthen and extend its solvency but tommie thompson supports replacing it with a voucher. send them with a piece of paper, if it doesn't keep out of cost tough luck, it's out of your own pocket. shifting cost to the seniors and it's the wrong policy. >> medicare ladies and gentlemen is going to go bankrupt in the year 2024. i do not want medicare to go bank rument. i want to fix medicare but i

want to make sure seniors are protected. and only those that are going to be under the age of 50 by the year 2,000 will have a choice, not a voucher like she says. i have never supported the voucher. what i support is a program that those individuals that are 50 and under in 2020 will make a choice do i want to go with medicare or the employees benefit, all the people in congress, the president gets. >> through the weekend watch more debates from key house, senate and governor races starting at 10:00 a.m. on c-span. >> and coming up at 9:00 eastern president obama holds a campaign rally at the university of colorado. it will be live here on c-span. and tomorrow morning "washington journal" turns ate tension to the role of ohio as a battleground state.

then bob bennett chairman of the republican party talks about what the campaign is doing to win that state. later a discussion of the october jobs report. "washington journal" live at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. also on friday the national press club hears from pen state university president. he talks about presiding over the university as it deals with the jerry sandusky sex abuse scandal. that's on c-span. >> i've watched shows on the weekend when they interview politicians and they talk about what they're doing in congress or different legislation and their their different opinions. >> recently i watched the debates so i knew it was on

c-span. >> i like it because it drills down more important to the issues and it's not antagonistic and hostile and it doesn't seem to have agenda they're trying to push on some of the other cable tv shows. >> i agree to. it seems fair like you get the real story there and there's not commentary and things that are negative. >> i go to get the news and facts so i want to learn something, not just be entertained. >> and it's not as exciting as cnn or fox but you get the real story and i like it >> these viewers watch c-span on comcast. c-span created by america's cable companies in 1979 brought to you as a service by your television provider. >> with just five days to go

until election day, ann romney called on the people of ohio to vote early for her hubt mitt. she said he will not fail women and the american people. this is a half hour. >> thank you. i am so pleased to be here today. what a lovely group of people. we are into the final days. isn't this exithe? and we're going in the right direction. it's just wonderful. we are so pleased to be here. i've had a lovely opportunity to travel with ann through the months now and through things and i just see in her so many things that will be so lovely in a first lady. we are so lucky to have her, aren't we? [applause] and the reasons that i'm here are not much different than the reasons from before. i care very deeply about my own family, obviously that's first

and fore340st in my mind. once again the mccain family has a son that's deployed and he's in the navy and he flies helicopters and he's in the gulf. but the reason i tell you that is because like any mother in this audience or any wife or any sister or aunt of someone who is serving. we want them safe. i want him home safe live. but with that said, i also want what america has all the had and that is a strong military. i believe we should have that. [applause] i don't think -- there is certainly waste in every level of government, no question on that one. but our military should remain strong and i want my son safe. i believe mitt romney is the man to lead my son. [applause]

i also had the opportunity this morning to introduce you a woman you know very well. someone who is from ohio who is married to the newest senator from ohio and a woman who i have found to be not only a lovely person but a great asset to the state of ohio, jane portman. here she is. what a great crowd. it's great to be here with you. thank you for that nice introduction. we have been having a great time on the girl's bus driving through ohio. we're happy to see you here and the men in the crowd as well which we want all of you to turn out and vote on november 6 for mitt romney. i want to say thank you to all of you for everything each of you has done for this campaign so far and what you're going to do in the few days ahead.

i would also like to take a moment today for all of us to take a moment and think of the millions of americans who have been affected by hurricane sandy and let's keep them in our thoughts and prayers today and they need our help moving forward. i'm here today to represent my husband rob who is in his job as u.s. senator. [applause] but more important than that i'm here as a mom and a citizen who is very concerned about the future for our kids and for our country. and i know and have come to see that mitt romney is the right candidate for us for president. he is the man with the record. [applause] . he is, right. mitt romney is the man with the record, the experience and the character to begin to turn things around, to begin to change things in wash wark, to break the gridlock abdomen make

the change that is we need to get our country back on track so we all need to do everything that we can to be sure that he is elected as the next president of the united states. and what i like to think today is that we have five more days to avoid four more years. [applause] so it's just great to be here with all of you. it's great to feel this energy in ohio. it's going to be close but we are headed in the right direction. it's my pleasure to introduce a friend of mine and that is our special guest. you all know her. you all know she's our ohio born and bread. she went to ohio state here. she and jack have been married for 52 years. they started their family here. they are real treasures throughout the united states.

special people. bar bra is a power which advocate for children health issues. she's the mother of five and the proud grandmother of 22. i think she has almost as many grandchildren as the romney's do. i want you to know that of course everyone adores and respects jack but they really really love her. so help me welcome her. [applause] . wow. what a pleasure it is to be back in my hometown and to be here with all of you and to introduce one of the nicest ladies you will ever meet.

and my days in ohio, this is my home and i'm so proud of it and proud to be with you. and i've add mired mitt and ann from afar for many years because i think they share many of the same values and goals and ideals that jack and do i and that's god and family and country. [applause] i think our husbands have both worked extremely hard their entire lives to achieve success in their chosen fields. and i think while mitt was creating the best life possible for his family, ann was the guiding light of his family. and mitt would say to her ann, my job is temporary but your job is forever which will bring forever happiness. my husband played a game where success was solely dependent on

him and his competition wasn't the other 100 part pants in the field. his competition was himself. so it was jack against the golf course and his own abilities and his hard work, time and efforts were the keys to his success. but outside the ropes we approached the marriage and lives and interest as a partnership. i think jack has been a great champion in the history of hi sport but he's been my champion for everything that matters to me and my family. in every marriage i think you all the want your spouse to be proud of you and it may sound a little corny but i always wanted to be the wind beneath jack's wings. so i've loved the role of being the woman behind the man but i've also loved having jack by my side which and mitt romney

has stood beside ann romney through every battle she's ever faced. his support of his wife provides a glims into oh or speaks volume yumes about the character of the man. today ann romney is by the side of her husband as he takes on a fight to get our country back on its feet and walking confidently into the future. i like to think we have a lot in common. they have five children. jack and i have have five children. we did sneak in a girl among our four boys and an and mitt have four boys but i will tell her there is a place in heaven for the mother of five boys. we have 22 grandchildren, ann and mitt have 18 but they'll probably catch us and pass us. and when i mention our children and grandchildren, the reality and importance of this election come alive. the election is not about us.

it's about our children and grandchildren. [applause] jax and i have always said that children are the root of a heart. so as a parent, all we ever want to create is a better future for our children. we don't want to have to tell our tcharniester year was a better life than theirs will be tomorrow. ann and mitt understand this and know what it will take to get our country the greatest nation on earth back on the right track. this election provides us an opportunity to review the record of a president and to review the record of a president to be. mitt understands the world but also the world of business. he has built successful businesses without sacrificing his values. he understands our economy as well as each and every social

issue. mitt romney is deeply concerned that under the current economy there are five and a half million struggling to find work. women are surfing under this administration and we simply can't and won't afford another four years of this economy. [applause] i'm not a politician. so to me knowing what a good, decent and intelligent man mitt romney is and knowing his background, experience and trustworthyness shows him to be a great leader and an excellent choice -- no, the only choice for president of the united states. [applause] he is the man i hope and pray will be our next president. [applause] . he and ann will bring pride,

credibility and compassion back to our nation and make us even prouder to be american citizens. in three short words, they get it. ann and mitt met in elementary school, became high school sweet hearts and somewhere along the way mitt announced soul mates. they are a team and we need a team in the white house. [applause] sadly, our country has become divided and for real change in america to begin we have to come together and begin to work as one, whether that is reaching across the aisle or reaching out to your neighbor, we need to unite as a nation. mitt romney is the leader that can make that happen.

nancy reagan once said a woman is like a tea bag, only when in hot water do you realize how strong she is. so ann like all of you in this room is a woman of strength and a woman with a voice, one should be heard. many experts say women will decide this election, so let's do it. we need to get out to vote. [applause] we need to make a difference. we need to vote for mitt romney. ann also speaks in terms of we and she couldn't be more passionate about her role standing beside and for her husband. reinforcing what he believes and what our country needs today. you didn't come here to listen to me but i was so excited to be with you today. i see lots of familiar faces from growing up in this great

city which is still my home. and i'm particularly happy to have shared some thoughts about ann romney. she is a very special lady who shares the hopes and dreams dreams of each of us in this room. this is arguing bli the nicest honor i have ever had. and i'm very proud of this moment and i'm proud to say god bless you, god bless america and god bless the next first lady of the united states, mrs. ann romney. ♪ ♪ ♪

>> i'm so touched backstage listening to this extraordinary woman. to be able to stand next to a woman like her and know that she and jack represent so much of what we love about america. they are such wonderful examples to us. it really brought tears to my eyes thinking about how amazing it is. to think anyone like that would even know who we are because i have add mired jack all of my life and add mired his way of living. his way of achieving his greatness in so many areas outside of the golf course. and i know -- [applause] i know ohio is their home state and this is where so many of you folks know them and love them. and as so many americans across the country admire and respect them. i'm also humbled to be on this

stage with so many extraordinary women. and there's a few men. this is great. jane mentioned we're on the girl's bus. i really like rolling with the girls let me just tell you will right now. i've had a great time with cindy mccain, she was with me in virginia, she's now with me in ohio. she and i have formed such a deep friendship. there's few people in this country that know what it's like to do this and cindy and i know what it's like. so aim grateful for cindy. i'm grateful for jane portman whose husband helped mitt prepare for those debates. [applause] we love rob and respect and admire him so much too.

and these good great midwestern values, boy do they shine through. we love that. i think a few of you have heard me say this before but cindy is again, she shares this sentiment with me and understands that running is very very hard on families. it's very tough. so after the last campaign when john mccain won fair and square i got out my video camera for my husband, i'm never doing this again. he looked at it and laughed. i said why are you laughing. he said you say that after every pregnancy. [laughter] true. true. and yet i have five boys. i will tell you when that fifth boy -- those were in the days

when you never knew what you were having. i turned to mitt and said that's all i got. there were no girls in my future, i could see that for sure. it was a long time waiting for that first granddaughter. so i have five sons. you got a daughter. right in the middle. i have 18 grandchildren. guess how many are boys? 13. i'm surrounded. and by the way i have all brothers. so i had to learn how to play football and baseball and play and rough house and everything else that those boys are so fun. and you know life is interesting and the boys taught me amazing lessons and i appreciate them so much. i could have nearly killed them when they were kids but they taught me how to be open and how to be open with your feelings and oh how to express

your feelings openly. and i was actually very shy. i mean the thought i'm up here on a stage is unbelievable. i spent my entire elementary school never saying one word. and i remember teachers would put me between other kids that were misbehaving because i was the buffer zone. nothing was going to happen with ann in the middle, nobody was going to talk to anybody. it's shocking i'm here with a microphone in my hand. the boys taught me to stand up for myself and how to speak up. women power is great too and now i finally have some of it in my life. and there is the greatest from by daughters in law and they came toilet trained and out of their teenage years because their mother es told me they were simply horrible.

here we are five days out. what an amazing injuryny we've been on across this country. i wish i could tell you all, this is a special day for me because this is my last day doing my campaigning on my own. for whatever reason they've kept mitt and i apart for the last months. every once in a while i we've in with him. but i have been on the road a lot on my own. this is my last day. [applause] so it's an emotional day for me because i wish i could tell you what i've learned on the road and what i've heard and the stories i have heard and i wish i could tell you how touched i am, how deeply touched i am and how deeply touched my life has been and mitt's life has been by touching out and reaching so

many americans across this country. we have come to know this country on such an extraordinary level and i can't tell you how much i love it and we love all americans. [applause] thank you. what i've heard and what has been etched in my heart have been the pleas of women. women have been coming up to me and saying please help. women have been coming to me saying we're hurting. there was a woman i just met in des moines that grabbed me and she's been volunteering with her daughters and she said she has been out of work for a year

and a half. she's been giving blood to put food on the table for her children. these are things you cannot forget. these are voices you cannot get out of your head. when i lay down to sleep at night these are the things i hear in my head and heart. they've been etched in my heart, all the voices of americans that need help. and the only thing i can tell them is that help is on the way. [applause] one thing i know about mitt he does not fail and he will not fail as a president. [applause] i have seen him in every situation and i've known him since we were high school sweet hearts. this is an amazing guy.

he has so much integrity and so much character. i have seen him as a husband as a father as a governor as a business man as a guy that turned around the olympics and in every situation i will tell you he has tackled each job with integrity, character, discipline and a heart so big. this is the thing that i know about mitt is that he carries and we're doing that because he does care. i know my good friend just had a chance to share with you a few stories from our earlier years. i appreciate pam and the friend ships we've had throughout the years and the close friend ships we've been able to develop. those are the things that matter most in life, our family and friends and those people in life we come in interaction with.

there are people hurting right now in new york and new jersey. the tv is extraordinary how many people lost their homes in new jersey. so i know what americans do. they have reach out and help one another. they don't care about party. they care about helping one another. and i love seeing that as well. [applause] so let me remind you it's very easy to donate to the american red cross. get out your cell phone and text 999. we can remember that. because it's my last day i'm going to tell more stories. after one debate or several debates, i had a little three-year-old granddaughter and after the debate she was running around the room dancing 999. and i said her man is on to something there.

he's getting through to my three-year-old granddaughter. 90999 the american red cross. and in the text area you just type in american red cross press send. $10 gets deducted from your bill to donate to the american red cross. i think it's an easy way to contribute. it takes ten seconds out of your life with $10. give to the american red cross to help out in my way we can. after all, we are all americans and we do what we all do best is help each other out. i'm going to tell some stories. pam told one. i'm going to share with you another which shows again how mitt cares. and how i know what kind of a person he's going to be when he sits in the oval office. [applause]

it was a story told by pat who is a firefighter in massachusetts and his son was diagnosed with cancer. and we knew them and knew them pretty well, but not real well. and we -- i find it very interesting in my life to see what happened when mitt found out. because you've got to put this in context he was very busy himself. he had four little boys at the time and that i remember because my little two-year-old son benjamin was just learning how to talk and i was struck by the fact when david was diagnosed mitt would take time out to go visit with him in the hospital or if he was at home go visit with him at home. and often he would take my boys with him on these visits. and i remember thinking ben is learning how to talk right now but he's learning something else. he's learning what it's like when a friend and a neighbor

gets in trouble. he's learning from his father how we behave when someone is hurting. and you don't talk, you roll up your sleeves and you do. [applause] i think those lessons were learned when they were just no taller than our knees and that's no surprise to me ben is a grown up boy and he's a doctor himself. dr. benjamin romney. so mitt made time in his life to go visit david and they developed a friendship. and in this friendship david would talk to mitt about his life. one of the things mitt learn sd david loved fire works so he brought visit fire works. the firefighter father made sure that those fireworks this

is a dr. suse story were set off safely. and those were a few moments of happiness in david's remaining short days. another time mitt's visiting with david and he recognizes he's losing his bottle with life. and he asked mitt what is next for me like am i -- i'm afraid. and mitt said david do not fear. we're all here on earth for a short time. yourself is shorter than most. but you're going to be fine. you're going to live after this. you're going to be greeted by people that love you on the other side and the savior is on the other side and life is eternal and aren't we all blessed to have that comfort in our lives? [applause] another time david asked --

knowing mitt had a law degree he asked could he write his will. so he takes his legal pad and pencil. you know a 14-year-old doesn't have many possessions but he wanted his rifle to get to his brother and his skateboard to at it all set, and he gave one final request. after they developed a friendship. would he please give a eulogy at his funeral? that is the kind of man that i know is going to be sitting in that office in the white house. [applause] so we are at this point now where we are only five days out. early voting has started and we need all of you to encourage

those people to get out and vote right away. make sure that ohio makes the decision. [applause] with clear eyes and a full heart, tell america that this is our choice. this is the path forward, with a person that is going to bring real change, the change that is desperately needed in washington. that that change and that office will be held by the next president whose name will be mitt romney. [applause] god bless you all for coming. god bless the knighted states of america.

-- united states of america. thank you. ♪ [indiscernible conversations]

>> we're live at the university of colorado, the last event of the day after rallies earlier today in wisconsin and loss vegas. he is expected to arrive shortly. as we wait for the president, a look at ohio as a battleground state for campaign 2012. >> all this week, we have been focusing on the nine swing states that hold the keys to this election. we are highlighting them all today and we put the spotlight on colorado where it looks like

it is a close race for the presidential election. the state of colorado there, the corridors. it has nine electoral votes, the unemployment rate right now is 8%. president obama won that state in 2008 by a 9% advantage. joining us from denver is the editorial page editor with the denver post. what are the top issues for colorado voters? >> just about everywhere else, the economy and jobs. we also have a large energy sector here. energy is a big issue. among the latino population, especially democrats, immigration reform. >> what -- who votes?

>> is interesting, we have increased the number of people voting by mail. the republicans have about a 20,000 votes and advantage. the state is equally divided. you try to figure out which way it will break. you will hear a lot of talk about appealing to women and latinos. we have heard a lot about the bennett strategy, that refers to the strategy michael bennett used in running against the tide and enter 2010 where by appealing to women and latinos he was able to eke out a victory in a year that was not favorable to democrats. host: where are the traditionally democratic areas

of the state versus the republican areas of the state? guest: denver is ground zero for democrats. boulder would be another one. they have large registration and arapahoe county. for a lot of people who follow politics, the fifth biggest county is el paso county, home to colorado springs. that is typically viewed as a republican stronghold. it is, but is also a big vote a bank for democrats. increasingly we have seen the ski areas that have started to trended democrat. the southwest corner of the state are two other ski resort communities that tented a democrat. host: a lot of focus on early voting in this contest. does colorado have it? what is it looking like? guest: we do, we have mailed ballots and early voting. we have already had more people vote overseas this year than all of 2008.

like i said, we had 800,000 ballots returned. the republicans had a 20,000 ballot advantage. nobody knows how the unaffiliated voters are breaking. about 2 million people voted early are absentee and enter the 2008 election. that is expected to grow to 2.5 million this election cycle. keep in mind colorado has 2.8 million active voters, more when you look at inactive voters. about three-quarters of the vote should be conducted in colorado, maybe a little more prior to november 6. host: on election day, what is the voting system like? guest: we have optical scanners. we have the digital machines that are just touch screen machines. there are also hand counted paper ballots.

host: could there be post- election litigation in colorado? we are hearing about that in other states. guest: there could. the clerks and the secretary of state office is prepared for that possibility. in colorado, there is a mandatory recount of the challenger finishes within half of a percent of the top vote- getter. host: we are talking with curtis hubbard of "the denver post." he was the politics editor from 2007 until 2011. he has been covering many of the races in that state. part of our battleground series. if we could go to "the denver post" endorsement, who did you endorse and why? guest: we endorsed president obama. we felt when we look at the two candidates' positions side by side, the president was a little more realistic.

we also like his more balanced approach to energy. we are in favor of obamacare. the editorial board was in favor of a public option. it did not go far enough for us. on social issues from immigration reform to women pose a health rights to birth control issues, the editorial board aligns more with the president's policies. voters are being asked by both candidates to take a leap of faith. given what we know about the previous four years, we decided it was an easier bet to go with the president for four more. host: how many times of using president obama or governor romney or their surrogates in your state? guest: president obama has been

here six times this year. mitt romney has been here 6. joe biden has been here once. we have seen a lot of, many visits from michelle obama. jill biden then work with the reds in colorado springs. we have seen plenty of action this cycle. >> bill clinton could be coming to your state. an official says bill clinton is scheduled to campaign for the president today. in colorado. the president was supposed to be in colorado springs tuesday but cancelled due to the storm. guest: and we expect we will see, pending the outcome of the storm on the east coast, both candidates later in the week. governor mitt romney was here last week in the rally at but rocks that drew 9000 people. thousands were turned away. the following day, president obama held a rally in denver and drew crowds of up to 16,000.

the governor this because deserve an amphitheater that has the capacity of 18,000. the president and his campaign were looking to go to boulder to hold a rally. they are try to turn out a lot of voters for the optics. >> president obama expected here at the university of colorado shortly. he is on the campaign trail today after spending the first part of the week dealing with relief efforts of hurricane sandy. we will take a closer look at ohio as a battleground state. president obama with the ohio, a rally at the frankfurt county could hilliard. we will have that live for you at 10:20 eastern. first lady michele obama will travel to virginia where she

will speak at a campaign rally at virginia state university in petersburg, virginia. ♪ ♪

>> this is president obama's

third campaign rally. he also held one in wisconsin at las vegas. we are getting an update on another battleground state, wisconsin. >> we focus on the state of wisconsin. joining us from milwaukee is from the sentinel services, a national political reporter as well as the washington bureau and chief. to set up this conversation, a couple of facts in regard to what we have gathered, we are currently looking at an unemployment rate of 7.3%. the president won reelection, can we start with the economics of wisconsin and, elaborate on the unemployment rate and what it means for the state?

>> in the unemployment rate is below the national rate, but if you look to the trend in terms of job growth in wisconsin, our job growth has been slower than the national action -- option. we had a fierce debate over the recall of gov. walker. at the economy and jobs were central to that debate. the bottom line is that it was somewhat sluggish job growth, some trends in manufacturing. but nothing that either disqualify the president or insure his reelection. >> looking at individual people,

how does the state break down when it comes to republicans, independents, democrats? >> we don't have a registration by party. wisconsin is a swing state, that is why we are talking about it. it has voted democratic in every election since ronald reagan. a little misleading because it is often extremely close and often very close to where the country as a whole is. it is the closest thing in the country in 2004. he had a big blowout for president for barack obama in 2008. democrats tended to dominate the u.s. senate election. we had a big republican tidal wave in 2010. if they win the senate seat this november, it will be the first time since the 1950's we have had thought to republican senators.

the state swings back and forth between the two parties. host: as far as the math is concerned, what areas of the state trench republican and what areas trent democrat -- what areas of the state trend republican and what areas trends democrat? guest: the areas for the democrats are routed milwaukee and madison. the classic areas for republicans are in southeastern wisconsin around milwaukee county and heading up along the eastern coast of wisconsin. a lot of wisconsin really does swing. there are counties in northeastern wisconsin around green bay and western wisconsin that swung huge for

obama in 2008 and swung back in 2010 and the recall fight in 2012. there were counties that brothel, won signed 10 points and scott -- that barack obama won by 10 points and governor scott won. those will be counties to watch in northeastern wisconsin and western wisconsin come election day. host: how does early voting factor into election day? guest: early voting is less of a factor in wisconsin than in the world -- the other states. it is technically known as in person absentee vote. the window for early voting is narrower and harder to track because we do not have registration by party.

we have to figure out which side is winning the early vote and it is more difficult. i cannot say with confidence who has the advantage in early voting in wisconsin. the early vote will be significant, but it will not be at the level of states like colorado. host: art voters required to show -- are voters required to show i day? guest: they will not be required to show id. host: what is the system in place in the state when it comes to how the votes are tabulated? guest: optical scanners are the prevailing system in wisconsin. it has proven to be a reliable system. it has held up during three counts we have had. that is a virtue of being easy

to administer and preserving a paper record. that is the system in wisconsin. we have had some close elections and we have had controversies and debates over the voting system and the intensity of the election. those will continue. if it is a close election in 2012, anything like it was in 2004 and 2000 when the margin for president was under half of a percentage point, i am sure those margins will continue. thou shalt vote in wisconsin. that is the history of the state. to give you an example, our turnout was higher in 2004 than it was in 2008, partly because barack obama opened up a lead.

it was still action in high. in 2004, we had almost three- quarters of voting age adults vote in the state. the numbers were higher if you were looking at those eligible to vote. in some parts of the state when turnout was higher, we are talking about 85% or 90% of registered voters to voted. that is part of the political culture of even in not a central races, we have seen extraordinary turnout. we have had remarkable turnout for governor in the recall fight. we had a state supreme court race this spring, a non-partisan race on a spring ballot in which the turnout was fired that in some states for governor in 2010. host: state of wisconsin, a battleground state and one of the focuses of us here on c-

span. >> the crowd waiting for president obama at the university of colorado. according to the cnn international poll, 50% of likely voters support president obama with a 48% backing governor romney. the margin as within the sampling error. we expect the president to arrive shortly. ♪

president obama, who we are waiting for, picked up the endorsement today from new york mayor michael bloomberg. in a statement, he said hurricane sandy could be evident of climate change. one sees climate change as an urgent problem that threatens our planet and one does not. i want a president to put scientific evidence about the electoral politics. -- above electoral politics. ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, to introduce the president of the united states -- [cheers and applause]

>> hi, voters! how are you guys? how are you fired up? are you ready to hear the president's speech? me, too. my name is savanna, i am a colorado native and then turn for the obama campaign. and a huge fan of our president. [applause] i am incredibly lucky to have grown ups and my family with four generations of really strong women, each of whom have taught me a lot about standing up for what i believe in. that is why i volunteered for president obama's campaign. i am so proud to stand by him today as he stands up for what we all believe in. fairness, opportunity, and

equality for all. while working on the campaign, i heard some pretty incredible stories. someone spoke about how his parents both died of preventable diseases because they did not have health insurance. that man knows that obama care will make sure that no one else's family will have to suffer like his. i have met first-generation college students that can afford to attend this amazing university because president obama has not only made it easier to get student loans, but easier to pay them after they graduate. [applause] my gay and lesbian friends know have a president that believes

that in america, they should be able to marry whoever they love. [applause] and serve the country that they so love. because of president obama, my friends and i are among the millions of women back and fight for equal pay for equal work. yeah. and like millions of other women, we know we can get the health care we need at a place like planned parenthood. because our president will always defend it and never defund it. [applause] you have heard that this election is one of the most important in our lifetimes. i know you have all heard it, but it is true. it really is true.

this matters. everything we have fought for is at stake and everything that we believe in. if you don't vote, your student loans will have to go through the big banks again. women's rights and lgbt rights will be sent back to the 1950's. our friends that serve will go back to iraq. health care decisions will be made by companies or by your boss is. what is serious to me is that a supreme court with romney justices could repeal roe vs. wade and eny a woman's right to make choices about her own body that only she should make. yes, this election matters more than we may be able to see in

this moment. it is why we all need to make sure that we vote and that everyone without -- we know votes. tomorrow is the last day to vote early. right after this rally, though vote. -- go vote. vote by mail. vote on election day. it doesn't matter -- too late. drop off your ballot if you haven't sent it in. contact the county clerk if you need information. get your friends and family, get them to the polls. carry them if you have to. just a vote. vote. lately, we have seen that mitt romney's desperation versus

president obama's determination. a politician that will say literally anything to win versus a president that will do everything in his power to help the entire country and all of its people. [applause] so when you fill out that ballett, i encourage you to think about the person and the president that you trust. think about how he believes in you, fights for you, and always stand by you have the values that we all believe in. how about we stand up and welcome back to colorado, the president of the united states of america. [cheers and applause] ♪

>> hello, boulder! ♪ thank you. thank you. are you fired up? are you ready to go? you seem pretty fired up. it is good to be back in colorado. everybody please give savanna a great round of applause for the great introduction. [applause]

let's give a shout out for the folks fighting for you every day in washington, senator michael udall, t, senator mark polis.sman gerrjared it is good to be here, thank you. now, i love you back. i do. you know, feel free to sit down. i don't want you tired. you know, for the past few days, all of us have been focused on one of the worst storms of our lifetime. we are humbled by nature's destructive power, we mourn

those that were lost. obviously, our hearts and prayers go out to the families affected. we pledged to help those whose lives have been turned upside down. some of the local officials in new york, they have a long way to go. to deal with this incredible storm. we have also been inspired these past few days. when disaster strikes, we see america at its best. the differences that consume us, they seem to melt away. we saw it in california with the fires this summer and the terrible tragedy in aurora. there are no democrats and republicans during a crisis.

just fellow americans. [applause] you know, we see leaders of different parties working to fix what is broken. neighbors helping neighbors to cope with tragedy. communities rallying to rebuild. a spirit that says in the end, we are in this together. we rise and fall as one nation. as one people. [applause] in boulder, that spirit has guided this country for more than two centuries. it has carried us through the trials and tribulations of the last four years. we were in the middle of two wars and the worst economic crisis since the great depression. today, because of the resilience of the american people, our

businesses have created 5 million new jobs. the american auto industry is back on top.

american manufacturing is growing at the fastest pace in 15 years. we are less dependent on foreign oil than any time in 20 years. home values, home construction is on the rise. and thanks to the service and sacrifice of the brave men and women in uniform, the war in iraq is over. the war in afghanistan is coming to an end. american manufacturing is growing atal qaeda has been dec, osama bin laden is dead. so we have made real progress these past four years. colorado, we know our work is not yet done. as long as there is a single american that want a job and can't find one, our work is not done. as long as there are families working harder and harder, but fallen further behind -- as long as there is a child somewhere in america languishing in poverty, our work is not yet done. [applause] our fight, our mission goes on

because we know this nation can 't succeed without a thriving middle-class. and strong ladders into the middle class for everybody that is willing to work hard and take responsibility. our fiht goes o -- fight goes on because america has done best when everybody has a fair shot and everybody is playing by the same rules. that is what we believe and that is why you elected me in 2008. that is why i want a second term as president of the united states of america. applause]d

>> four more years! four more years! >> now we knew, from the beginning, that our work would take more than one year or even more than one term. the middle class was getting hammered long before the financial crisis hit. the economy has changed over the last 20 or 30 years. technology has made us more productive but it has also made a lot of good jobs obsolete. mobil trade brought us cheaper products but it also means jobs overseas in low-wage countries. american workers saw their paychecks getting squeezed. even when corporate profits rose and ceo salaries exploded.

guaranteed pensions and health care starting to erode or disappear are together. -- altogether. the rise of global competition, those are real. we can't wish them away. here is what i know. and we can meet those challenges. we are americans. we have the world's best entrepreneurs, and tests, researchers, colleges, universities. we have the most innovative workers. we have everything we need to thrive in this new economy. there is not a country on earth that would gladly trade places -- that would not gladly trade places with the united states.

to secure a future that we want for our kids and our grandkids, we have to make a choice right now. in five days, we will choose our next president. [applause] and, boulder, it is more than just a choice between two candidates or parties. you will be making a choice between two fundamentally different visions of america. what were we return to the top- down policies that crashed the economy. don't boo, vote. vote. or a future built on a strong and growing middle class. we know what the choice needs to be. we are here because we believe if the country is back on the

skills and ideas of its people, the jobs and businesses will follow. we believe the free market has been the engine of america's progress and we honor the risk takers and dreamers that drive the economy forward. we also understand that in this country, people succeed when they have the chance that a good education or when they can learn new skills. they need workers. it is good for our country because of those folks get an education to start a new business. when we support research in medical breakthroughs or nanotechnology, new fields of study. new industries start here at a

higher here. -- and they hire here. we don't believe government should poke its nose and everything we do. but we do believe this country is stronger at the markets work better when there are rules in place to protect kids from toxic dumping and mercury pollution. when there are rules to protect consumers from unscrupulous credit card companies and mortgage lenders. we are convinced that we grow faster and the evidence is on our side. it rewards hard work and companies create jobs in america. we believe that quality health care, for everybody, and retirement, for everybody, they are not just achievable goals,

but our values as a nation. that is what we believe. [applause] for eight years, we had a president that actually share those beliefs. his name was bill clinton. you know, the interesting thing was, when he was elected, he asked the wealthiest americans to pay a little more so that we can reduce the deficit and make investment in education, research, and guess what? a bunch of folks running for congress at the time said this is going to hurt the economy. this is going to kill job creation. if that argument sounds familiar, one of those candidates has to be running for president right now. it turns out his bath at their math was just as bad back that as it is now.

-- then as it is now. by the end of bill clinton's second term, americans created 23 million new jobs. poverty was doubt and the deficit became the biggest surplus in history. colorado, we know the ideas. we know that our ideas work. we also know those that don't work. eight years after bill clinton left office. his policies were reversed. the wealthiest americans got tax breaks they did not need. companies enjoy tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas and insured that oil companies and wall street were given free rein. folks got to play by different set of rules than the rest of us. the result was falling in comes

and record deficits and the slowest job growth in half a century. and an economic crisis that we have been cleaning up for the last four years. so here is the thing. we have tested both theories. we have tested both visions. what worked really well. what worked really badly. -- one worked well, one worked badly. romney has been using all of his formidable talents as a salesman to dress up the very same policies that toppled the country and that we have been cleaning up after, he is offering them up as change. he is saying he is the candidate of change. don't boo, vote. vote.

let me tell you, colorado, we know what change looks like. we know what is going to help the middle class. we know what is going to grow and reduce the deficit. governor romney is not it. giving more power back to the biggest banks is not change. leaving millions without health insurance, that is not change. another -- [applause] another $5 trillion tax cut that favors the wealthy is not change. refusing to answer questions

about details of your policies, not change. compromise by rubber stamping the tea-party policies, that does not change. that is what we have to change. with all the commercials coming to people, sometimes it is hard to follow stuff and hard to know who to trust. after four years, you know me by now. [cheers and applause] you may not agree with every decision i have made. did you may be frustrated with

the pace of change. i remind people when we did auto bailout, only 10% of the country approved of it, including folks in michigan and ohio, but you know where i stand. you know i am willing to make tough decisions, even when they are not politically convenient. [applause] most importantly, you know i will fight for you and your family every single day. that is why i know what real change looks like, because i fought for it. i have the scars to prove it. you fought for it, too, and

after all we have been through together, we cannot give of fat. that.e up let's picture what real change looks like. real change is a country where americans of every day in -- every age have the education and skills required. we know they cannot do this alone. do not tell me hiring more teachers will not help this economy. [applause] do not tell me that students who cannot afford college can borrow money from their parents. that was not an option for me. i bet it was not an option for a lot of you. we should not be ending and why tax credits to pay for millionaire tax cuts. we should be making college more

affordable for anyone willing to pay for it. we should recruits 100,000 map and science teachers so high- tech jobs -- math and science teachers so high-tech jobs are not created in china but right here in colorado. we should work with community colleges to train another 2 million americans with the skill businesses are looking for now, and that is part of my plan for the future. that is what changes. that is what is at stake in this election. tohange comes when we live up america's legacy of innovation, where we make america the next home of scientific discovery

when technological breakthroughs. i am proud i met on a mirror -- i'd bet on american ingenuity, and we are not just building cars. we are building better cars that will go twice as far on a gallon of gas. [applause] today there are thousands of workers all across the country. not every technology we bet on will pan out. there is a future for clean energy it in america.

i am not going to see the future to another country. i want to create jobs here in america. i want to support the new technologies that will reduce carbon who in our atmosphere, that will make us less dependent on foreign oil. that is the future worth fighting for. [applause]

real change is finally turning the page on a decade of war. let's do some nation building here at home. we will pursue our enemies with the strongest military the world has ever known. it is time to use some of the savings from ending the wars in iraq and afghanistan to start repaying our debt, to start rebuilding america. that is part of our national security. right now we can put people back to work all across the country, fixing roads and bridges, making sure our schools are state of the art. let's put americans back to

work doing the work that needs to be done. let's focus on our veterans, because nobody who fights for this country should have to fight for a job. [applause] that is my commitment to you. that is part of keeping america strong. that is what is at stake in this election. change in which we reduce our deficit, and we can streamline agencies. we can get rid of programs that are not working, but if we are serious, we have to ask wealthy americans to go back to the tax rates they paid when bill clinton was in office. [applause] of budget is all about priorities. it is about what values do we

care about. i am not going to turn medicare into a voucher to pay taxes. i am not going to allow this nation to be plunged into another battle over health-care reform and take millions of americans of health care and weaken the reforms we put in place, including making sure young people can stay on their parents' plan just so insurance companies can jump back into the driver's seat. by the way, i am not going to allow politicians in washington to control health-care choices women should make it by themselves. i am not going to do that. we are not going to go backwards. we are going to go for words. -- forwards.

[applause] colorado, we know what change is. we know what the future requires. we do not need a big government agenda or a small government agenda. we need a middle class agenda that will reward responsibility. we need a common sense agenda that says when we educate a poor child, it helps us all, that says we donate suit science, her discovery will benefit all americans. we need an agenda that recognizes we do not just look out for ourselves. we look out for one another. we look out for future generations. we meet these obligations by working together. that is the change we need. that is what 2008 is about. that is why i need you to vote.

[applause] let me be clear. achieving this agenda will not be easy. it will not be easy over the next four years. back in 2008, when we talk about change, i told you i was not just talking about changing presidents. i was not just talking about changing parties. i was talking about changing politics. i read because the voices of the american people have been shut out of our democracy for to lawn -- for too long by politicians who think compromise is a dirty word and would say anything to win office and stay in office, and as we expected,

and the protectors of the status quo are a powerful force in washington. every time we have fought to make change, they have fought back with everything they have got. they spend millions to stop us from reforming wall street and student loans. their strategy from the start, refusing to compromise on ideas that traditionally democrats and republicans have supported. what they are counting on is the american people will be so worn down by the squabbles, so tired by the does function, that you wrote ward obstruction, either by voting for folks who claimed to -- you reword obstruction either by voting for folks who claim change, but putting people back who got us -- who advocate

the policies that put us in this mess. their bets is on cynicism. they are counting on you not voting. my vote is on you. my bet is on the decency of the american people. [applause] despite all the resistance, despite all the setbacks, we have done so much, and we never lost sight of the vision that you would have a voice, that there would be somebody fighting for middle-class americans, for folks working hard and struggling. sometime republicans in congress work with me to meet our goals, to open up new markets for

american goods, to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." [applause] sometimes we have had big fights, like when we forced the banks to stop charging for student loans, which is how we make college more affordable for young people, like when we force young people to abide by the toughest rules since the 1930's. so no one in america goes bankrupt just before it -- just because they get sick. i did not find those fights for any partisan advantage. i have shown my willingness to work with anybody of any party to move this country forward, but if you want to break the

gridlock in congress, you will vote for leaders who feel the same way. you will vote for candidates like michael bennett and mark you dolton, -- mark yudall, who have shown themselves to work across party lines to get things done but also know there are some principles you do not compromise, because the price in washington is cutting deals but will kick folks off of financial aid or get rid of planned parenthood, just to give millionaires a tax cut, that is not a deal worth having.

i am not ready to give up. i am not ready to give up on that fight. i hope you will not be there. i hope you have some fight left in there. the folks at the very top in this country do not need another champion in washington. they will always have access to influence. they can hire lobbyists. the men and women i meet on the campaign trial every day.

she needs a champion. a small restaurant owner who needs to expand -- who needs a loan to expand after the banks turned him down. he needs a champion. the cleaning staff working overtime in a hotel trying to save up to buy a first home or send their kids to college, they need a chance. the auto worker who never thought he would work at a plant again and is now back building a great car and is full of pride and dignity, he needs a chance. the young teacher doing her best in an overcrowded classroom without a text book, she needs a chance. all those kids in inner cities and small farm towns in valleys of ohio, right here in boulder, kids dreaming of becoming

scientists or doctors or engineers or entrepreneurs, they need a champion in washington. [applause] they need a champion, because the future does not have lobbyists. it will never had as many lobbyists as in vested interests, but it is the dreams of those children that will be our saving grace, and that is why i need you. that is why i need you, to make sure their voices are heard, to make sure your voices are heard. we have come too far to turn back now. we have come too far. now is the time to keep pushing forward.

to train all of our workers, to , to restore energy commo our democracy, to make sure no matter who you are or where you come from, you can make it in america if you try. [applause] in the middle of the great depression, f.b.r. reminded the country the failure is not an american have it, and in the strength of great hope, we must shoulder are common hope. that is the strength we need today. that is the hope i am asking you to share. that is the future in our strength. that is why i am asking for your vote. that is why i need your early voting tomorrow.

that is why i need young people to turn up. that is why i need you to knock on more doors. that is why i need you to make some phone calls, and if you vote for me, we will win this election. we will finish what we started. we will keep moving forward. we will renew those bonds and reaffirm the spirit that makes the united states of america the greatest nation on earth. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. remember to vote.

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>> only five days before the election, both candidates held campaign rallies today. why do you support your candidate? we are opening the phones. our first call is an obama supporter from michigan. you have the floor, gary.

caller: good evening. how are you? >> good, thanks. caller: the reason i support the president is he is strong on foreign policy. he has never let college students down. he supports women's rights, both in the workplace and in regards to health care, and with leaders around the country this past week and also in the world -- our foreign policy is at an all- time high with leaders across the world. the majority of leaders in the world support the president's reelection. i am not in favor of starting another war. we need to bring our men and women home. i thank them for the service.

we have a lot of infrastructure to rebuild, especially after sandeep. >> let me get another perspective. a romney supporter, what do you have to say? >> i was watching the president's speech, and he is putting the first half of the speech, speaking about how his policies have worked and how we are where we are, blaming somebody else, and in the second half of his speech, he gave a long list, basically a slap in the face explaining how serious he was about these things. >> why don't i switch it to what you think about mitt romney? why do you support mitt romney? >> when he had a democratic house and senate, he did not do any of these things, so it is sad to say he did not do any of these things when he had an opportunity. mitt romney has simple plants

that are common sense, lowering the tax rate, not punishing success, but interesting and rewarding hard work and success. this president says he is for hard work and success, but policies that punish success, and the more successful you become, the more he wants to tax your money and take it away. >> john is covering this on the others . >> i have listened through the and theyaign comm, basically feel this man came through with an ideology. he has a feeling about where he wanted to take us, and he has tried to take us through this edition he has, and basically after four years, i think most american people, especially the older people who have had their fathers and mothers gone through

the depressions, the wars, and we have found this ideologies is getting away. >> who do you plan to support on tuesday? >> i am basically a libertarian, but without a doubt, i am going to have to go with romney, because romney is a person who comes with a vision of getting us back to the things we have faced this nation on, and that is liberty. that is getting back to what we have to do and not playing two groups said one that and to try to split people. >> our next call is from danny, a democrat from kentucky. >> i am an obama supporter. i voted for him in 2008, and the

republicans gave him a mountain of debt when he went in and gave him a little shovel to clean it up with, and he has not done it the way they thought he should have done it and could not have done it in four years, and i every with bill clinton. nobody could have clean this mess up after what they left, but this man stands for what he says, and romney does not know what he stands for. one day he is for something, and the next day he is for something different. he will tell us his plan after he gets in office. >> we have a caller from the nation's capital of washington, d.c. you are supporting mitt romney. why is that? >> i am a democrat, but i have

been disappointed. i think romney has a global economic perspective that will be good for the united states. i think he has demanded respect. i say he is incredibly successful, and i do not think he has gotten the respect he deserves, and i think what the president tried to do has not worked. >> up next, macon, ga., a romney supporter. what you have to say? >> i believe president obama will win. and now he supports women.

i am a 36-year-old, and it did not take over night. president barack obama really cares about this country, and that is why he has my support. the republicans, they are just evil. >> i am cutting you off there. president obama's third campaign rally. we also covered the gop candidate mitt romney. you can see mitt romney on c- span after we take our phone calls. our next call is from our romney supporter from idaho. go ahead. caller: i am supporting romney

because i think he is an honest man. he does not criticize obama. he looks for the good in the people trying to help people out. i also support the young man from washington. i agree wholeheartedly, and i think romney is very honest, and he is out for helping the people of the united states, and he loves the country. it seems like every time obama and i did get up there, they sit through nothing but -- obama and joe biden get up there, it is nothing but lies and criticizing the country. >> another call from randall in huntington, west virginia. >> i am for obama because i feel that he comprehends we represent

the american people, as opposed to romney, but presenting the interest of the 1% who wants to further their agenda. he shares know, and ideas with the working class people of america. -- he shares know, and ideas with the working class people of america. -- shares no common ideas with the working class people of america. >> our next caller from texas. you are supporting mitt romney. why is that? >> number one, he is a man of conviction. i truly believe that. i also believe that we need a leader, and politics need to be forgotten. we need leadership, and romney,

i just believe he is a man, he is trying hard to be honest to the people. he has a direction, and the thing about obama, he is like a sexual butterfly, and i also believe obama will say anything , even to things he does not believe in. >> why are you supporting mitt romney? >> because he is a man of character. he is a man of direction. he has leadership abilities. he believes in standing for something, even when it is not popular with others.

he truly believes in something. >> thank you for your calls. you can send us your comments on twitter. president obama and first lady michelle obama are in the campaign trail. we will join them in ohio. you can see that live starting at 10:20 a.m. eastern on c-span. later, michelle obama campaigns in virginia. >> i regard medicare as the program, and i got to see it from a very young age. we have to strengthen and extend its solvency, but now i know tommy thompson approved a program to replace health care

with a voucher. a piece of paper that does not keep up with costs? tough luck. it is out of your own pockets. >> medicare is going to go bankrupt in the year 2024. i do not want medicare to go bankrupt. i want to fix medicare, but i want to make sure seniors in america are protected, and only those under the age of 50 by the year 2000 will have a choice. what i support is that those individuals 50 and under will make a choice. the federal health employees benefit comes from involvement. >> through the weekend, what more debates from key house, senate, and governor's races

starting at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> we join mitt romney for his campaign rally in virginia. after that, washington journal examines virginia as a battleground states followed by the montana senate debate between the senator and his republican challenger. now we join in it romney campaigning. first we hear from virginia republicans and george allen, eric kanter. this is an hour.

>> ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. are you ready for america's comeback? that is great. that is what we have been hearing from people all across the commonwealth of virginia. people care about jobs. they care about the future of the economy. they want to see leaders that will work to get things done, to restore the american dream, but they want leaders that listen to your voices, who care about your voices, and what people want to see is a healthy economy in were small businesses are creating jobs again. there are some young people. this election is for you, to make sure you have the same opportunities we had growing up.

unlike my opponent, who wants to be president obama's senator, i want to be virginia's center. -- senator. we are fortunate to have a governor who is leading a comeback in the commonwealth of virginia. [applause] of, you were in the legislature. so was eric. we cut taxes by $600 million and made our streets and communities safer and over 300,000 new jobs were created during those years.

democratic legislature and what he was able to do is cut red tape and balance the budget. that's the kind of leadership that mitt romney will bring to us as president of the united states. now folks, in this campaign, we've been focused on your blueprint for america's come back. ideas that ip spire people for solutions that work, it's a projob growth plan of action. we need taxes that are more simple and fair, and close the loopholes. we need productive energy policy and empowering education. we all need to be united. and i know the governor, members of the general assembly but also with mitt romney as president, we can unite americans behind this mission. let's send a message of the world that america is open for business again. \[applause]

and a positive way of getting all this done is recognizing that here in america we're very blessed, blessed with freedom, blessed with fertile ground where we can grow crops to feed ourselves. we're also blessed to be number one in the world when it comes to energy resources. we have the energy resources here in virginia from our coal fields to our coast. and on day one, after i get elected by you as u.s. senator, i will introduce a bill that very first day to allow us in virginia to produce oil and natural gas off our coast and use their coal fields. \[applause] and when we have mitt romney in the white house we're going to have a president who will stop e.p.a.'s assault on coal and heel be saying yes to virginia energy from our coast to the

coal fields, yes to american energy and energy jobs and american energy independence. -- independence \[applause] >> and we can have a government in washington that is effective and accountability. leadership is about setting priorities and working together to achieve those goals t. paramount responsibility of the federal government is national defense. and i see some veterans with their hats on. all the veterans, raise your hand. \[applause] thank you. thank you for your service to our country and thank your families as well. and we need to have america keep our promises to our veterans and their families for the

benefits they've errand. more over, we have new threats from washington t. sequestration deal which is threatening 2,000 jobs in virginia and our readiness. what has the senate done? absolutely nothing. no budgets for the last three and a half years. a lot of members of congress shouldn't get paid if they don't make appropriations. what does president obama and opponent jim mccain say? we need to raise taxes. that's the right reaction because that would mean fewer jobs. and i want to be real clear. the 200,000 men and women in virginia whose jobs are at risk who serve in our armed forces should never be used as a political bargaining chip to race taxes on small business owners. \[applause] >> the best way to raise

revenues is with a thriving economy where businesses are prospering and people are getting paychecks, not worrying about extension of unemployment benefits. so folks there is a lot at stake five days from now. november 6 it is our generation's ran day view with destiny. i believe that the people of virginia here in the richmond area, the central virginia area, especially since we're here at doswell farms where the greatest history resource in all was born. we want to be like secretary i

can't and you all are going to lead the way for a triple crown victory where we re-elect our leader eric cantor for a representative. \[applause] where with our win in the u.s. senate we change the leadership in the united states senate to common sense conservative. and the key to the winner's circle, mitt romney in the white house. \[applause] let me turn it over to our lead horse in virginia. a great friend and leader. and one of the outstanding best governors in the whole united states of america, our friend and great leader and his job is one that is great for all of us

and he needs a friend in washington. let me present to you our great governor, bob mcdonnell. >> good afternoon. thank you george and ladies and gentlemen are you ready to elect mitt romney and paul ryan to save jobs in virginia? \[applause] are you ready to get the greatest country on earth out of debt and back to work by electing mitt romney? \[applause] i thought so. well you look all dried out and recovered from the store and god blessed us by giving us a glancing blow. what great work done by our first responders and government officials around the state. we are blessed to have done so well here in virginia. \[applause] you know a month ago president obama came to virginia and said

if you don't win virginia, i won't be president of the united states. will you help him keep that promise? \[applause] we love having mitt romney here. but we like having president obama and joe biden here because they say the darnedest things in virginia, don't they? >> like bind saying it's great to be here in north carolina. and president obama saying he had a business but somebody else built that. does that sound like somebody who understands free enterprise and the american dream? fortunately, we have a candidate who does. i'm glad to have followed george allen. he was a great reform governor and he will be a great united states senator to help turn this country around. \[applause] i'm so glad to see all you veterans here and all oh of you that understand the coal industry, thank you for coming. and all of you that understand freed new mexico america is not

free. for centuries it's taken properties like you to make our -- patriots like you to make our country great. >> my grandfather came in search of the american dream. he worked in a factory in massachusetts and 100 years later his grandson is governor. isn't it a great country? but unfortunately that great american dream -- and all of you have stories like that maybe brought you here today in search of a better future for your kids and grandkids. that american dream is under attack right now. all you have to do is look at

23 million people that have no access to the dream because they can't find a job. 8% unemployment rate. 16 trillion in debt. no president in american history has increased the debt as much as this president, $16 trillion, no budget and a debt that would go to $24 trillion in four years. the highest on food stamps and the heart ache of people because they can't find a job and access the american dream. one in six americans riving in poverty. no plan for the country that's blessed with the greatest energy resources in all the world. ladies and gentlemen, we need a

change in this country and we need it now. \[applause] this president has been a bystander now for a year while the sequestration defense cuts that threaten to devastate in the words of secretary panetta devastate the military at a time our men and women are serving in a war in afghanistan and this president refuses to lead and pass the bill to cut out these defense cuts, refuses to take a stand on men and women in uniform right now. only mitt romney will make that change and that's why we need a president that will protect the united states military in a time of war. \[applause] despite all these new taxes and regulations and unfunded man

dates and interference from washington, virginia is blessed with having the lowest unemployment rate in the southeast, but think how much better that would be if we had somebody in the white house that understood job creation and free enterprise and the american dream. boy, would we be in good shape. we're trying to be the first state on the east coast to drill offshore. we're trying to make that coal industry in virginia thrive. this president says no. we need mitt romney because he will say necessary to energy jobs in the common wealth of virginia. \[applause] so fortunately, fortunately, we have an incredible candidate in mitt romney. let me tell you about the heart of mitt romney. you know people by their vision. in fact, the scriptures say for

lack of vision the people perish. but with vision the people prosper and for new prosperity in america we need a new vision. this is a man that turned massachusetts around with a democratic legislature and cut $3.5 billion out of their budget without racing taxes. this man turned the olympics around. this is a man that created jobs in the private sector because he understands small business. this is a man of great faith and great character that -- grate character -- great character that builds a great america. all the has been, always will. >> so while we have a surplus of rhetoric and a surplus of debt.

fortunately, we have a leader that will say what we need to do that has a specific plan for getting the middle class back to work with energy and small business and trade and deficit reduction, specific ideas to turn this country around to replace the excuses and the lack of results we're getting in washington. so ladies and gentlemen, let me close with this, five days, and i know a lot of you have been working hard. in fact, you've been working hard since 2009. thank you for giving eric cantor three new congressmen in 2010 to change the united states congress. thank you for 201e6789 thanks for what you have done over the last nine months for paul ryan and mitt romney and george allen and eric cantor. but thanks most of all for what you're going to do the next five days.

there are still people that haven't decided mitt romney is the best guy for the united states of america. so you can knock on doors, you can send out your e-mails, you can still make a lot of phone calls. you can tweet or use facebook. if you don't know how, there are kids up here that are 10 years old and they can show you how to do it. you can talk to people at church on sunday or at work on monday, there are thousands of people here. make five phone calls, ask them to make five phone calls, that will be 50,000 people and mitt romney will be the next president of the united states thank to you, the commonwealth of virginia. ladies and gentlemen it's now my pleasure to introduce to you my former seat mate in the house of delegates, eric cantor.

he has done a great job. he understands the limited government works best for the people of the united states. he's the champion for the free enterprise system. so please welcome, our great leader from the united states congress, your majority leader,, eric cantor. >> \[applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. -- thank you very much. i want to thank all of you for your hard work which and i know it seems like an awful long time we've been at . this but it's just five more days, five more days. are you ready to win in five days? \[applause]

we are here today because all of us are concerned about our country. and i know it speaks to the moral fabric of who we are that while this state of ours and others certainly to the north have endured a ho risk storm that we are resolute that we came together, we came with compassion in caring for our fellow citizens and we are here today in that spirit because we carry about virginia and we know that virginia cares about america. that's why we're going to elect george allen to the senate and mitt romney as our next president. \[applause] niffs an airport the other day and i met a man who is a home building er and he told me he is a home builder but he had a take a job as a cook in a restaurant because he couldn't find a position to match his skills.

we can do better for him, we can do better for the tens of thousands of people who are looking for that job to match their skills and some who have been forced to take one just to make ends meet and pay the bills and even worse some who have knots a job at all. we can do better and we are going to do better under mitt romney's leadership. \[applause] mitt romney is the only candidate throughout this entire campaign that has had a specific plan to create jobs, to get america back to work and start growing our economy. and there is no doubt abet, we

will win with that message here in virginia. and i know we'll win with your efforts because they're going to pay off. now look. we all know that the results that have come out of washington over the last four years have not been the kind of results that the people of virginia deserve or that americans deserve which and i can tell you this country is in desperate need of a leader who understands first of all that reasonable people can disagree. i always say i've been married almost 23 years. my wife and i don't agree on everything. we've been married and we've raised our kids and we know how to set differences aside and know how to come together. that's what this country is built upon is the spirit of cooperation of understanding that we've been blessed to be part of this incredible country. well, mitt romney has proven that he's been able to operate in the most difficult environments. as the governor just said he was

the governor of probably the most democratic state in the country. but as a republican he sat done with people of different views and said let's figure out what we can agree on, what we can do. now this country has a lot of problems. we're spending money we don't have and that's got to end. we know mitt romney knows how to balance budgets. we know mitt romney knows how to fix the problems that are facing this country. \[applause] so we need a leader like that in washington. i can tell you from experience the man in the white house has fallen short on his job of

uniting people and pointing this country in a direction that offers us all hope. he has failed in that effort. i can also tell you we have tens of thousands of people in virginia who dedicate their life in uniform. many veterans know what i speak because we thank you and virginia has hey rich heritage in playing a huge role in the defense of this country and the promotion of its national security. and thank you for that \[applause] as governor's allen and mcdonnell said before this president has failed to offer a solution to avoid the defense cuts that potentially could threaten our position as a global military power and could certainly threaten the commitment and the jobs of tens

of thousands of people in virginia dedicated to the defense industry. mitt romney has a plan that will get our country back on track, will strengthen our military and will send the signal to our allies that we stand for freedom and we stand with those who stand with us. \[applause] so without further ado, please join me in welcoming the next president of the united states, governor romney. \[applause]

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♪ [applause] >> wow, what an entrance, huh? it is kind of hard to upstage bob donnell in his own state. my goodness -- thank you. what a welcome. virginia, we are going to win on november 6. i will tell you that. [applause] there are a few people i want to thank.

i want to thank ricky skagg for entertaining -- he was entertaining us in roanoke. i appreciate his support and help. thank you to all these leaders in your state. i have a whole list here. we just had the governor. is the lieutenant governor here? [applause] the tenant governor, how are you? where is the general? is he here too? there he is down there. i appreciate you being here. eric cantor, you just heard from. thank you. the great common wealth of virginia none other than governor george allen. [applause]

i also want to mention the fact that a lot of people in this country are having a hard time right now particularly those hit by the hurricane and if you have a few extra dollars send them to the relief organizations and that can make a difference in the lives of our fellow citizens. it's part of who we are as americans to step forward when people need our help and this is one of those times. so thank you for the help have you provided and the help you're going to provide. [applause] [shouting] [boos] [chanting "u.s.a."]

>> this is an election of great consequence and i think you understand that. i know there are some people who believe we should stay on the current course and things are going find. i don't believe status quo is right for america. i believe america needs real change and we're going to give it to the american people. [applause] campaign obama's slogan is forward. i think a better term would be forewarned. we've seen the results of the last four years. we've got a lot of people who are hurting and think don't want to see another four years like the last. do you want to see another four years with 23 million americans struggling for a good job. do you want to see more taxes or higher gasoline prices?

do you want to see four more years with washington in gridlock? i know the president wants to see four more years and that's his chant but our chant is this -- five more days, five more days. [applause] now the president has been trying to find a new idea because he knows people aren't happy what has happened over the last four years. we had three debates and the president wasn't able to put forward a plan to get the economy going. he just says he's going to do more of the same. he came out with a brother sure but no new ideas to get the economy going. then he came up with an idea he's going to create a department of business. i just don't think another cabinet chair is going to

create the jobs america needs. so i'm going to make sure we get a president who understand business instead of hiring someone in the cabinet. his campaign seems to have been reduced to smaller and smaller things. as people are facing more and more challenges and he's been looking for agenda other than just forward, more of the same. for a while there he was talking about saving characters on sesame street then it was word games with my name that he was playing then he got anxious and went out there and attacked me day in and day out. attacking me does not create agenda for him. we have a plan to get this economy going. we're going to put it in place to help the american people. [applause]

i fundamentally believe in the american people. i believe in america. i believe that america is going to come back if we do what we've done from the beginning which is to unleash the freed ms of the american people and let them pursue their dreams. so my plan is five steps to get this economy going. number one take full advantage of our coal, our oil gas and renewables. this is kind of our economy's ace in the hole right now because someone discovered not just how to drill in the earth vertically but how to go horizontally and tap into pockets of oil and gas. by virtue of that technology we can have north earn energy independence within eight years. and that means jobs.

that means jobs here in the energy sector as well as in manufacturing. manufacturing uses a lot of energy which and energy here will be abundant and inexpensive so manufacturing is going to come back. and by the way energy jobs and manufacturing jobs they create a lot of jobs. this is a big plus for us and taking full advantage of it is going to get us working again. that's number one. number two, just a little background. we're the most productive nation of any nation on earth. now productive means when you add up all the things that are made in america including all the services that are sold in america, you add them up and divide them by the number of workers in our work force, the out put per person is greater than other nations. what that means is trade is good

for us. so opening up new markets for trade and selling our goods in latin america which is a huge market, we could expand there. i want to make trade work for america by opening up markets and i also want to make sure that if nations cheat and steel jobs by not playing by the rules, we hold them accountable. that's what i want to do with china. we're going to make trade work for america. now number three -- number one is energy, number two is trade and number three is making sure the workers have the skills they knead. we have 47 programs in government reporting to eight different agencies. think of all the bureaucrats. i'd like to take those dollars and bundle them up and say virginia you run your program the way you think is best for your people. [applause] and i want to fix our schools

too for the coming generation. i want our kids to have the skills they need as well. i think it's bad that the nation that invented public education is performing in the bottom third of education accomplishment. it's unacceptable. i won't go through all of what you have to do. it's all about teachers and hiring the best and brightest, promoting the best and making sure they're well compensated. the key is teachers. and we got to put the kids at the top, the parents and the teachers and the teachers union is going to have to go behind and put kids first. [applause] that's number three. number four and this may not immediately connect with why the budget has anything to do with jobs but let me tell you if you're an entrepreneur about risking your life savings to

open a business or a company investing in billions of dollars in factories in america. if're not going to do that you think we're on the road to greece. and that's the road we're on. so i will commit to you i will do everything in my power to cut federal spending and cap it and get us on track to a balanced budget so we can create more jobs here. [applause] and number five, i want to champion small business. i want to make it easier for small business -- i was just a few moments ago at bill's barbecue in town here. they used of the 200 employees.

the owner of bill's just told me she's going to close her doors. and i said why. and she said taxes, federal regulations and then she also said obama care. taxes regulations and obamacare, those three things are crushing small businesses across america. you realize -- let me take you through the calculation on tacks. if you're a small business, a successful one. you can calculate how much you're going to give to the government. i spoke to a man and he calculated how much they send to government. with federal income tax 35%, payroll tax, state income tax, state sales tax, real estate tax, gasoline tax. they said over 50% of what their business makes they send to government. he said think about this. when you start a small business

your chance of succeeding is not real high. the failure rate on small business is pretty significant. if and if you succeed the government wants more than half of what you make. so businesses are less likely to get started and hire people. so i want to bring the tax rates down. the president wants to raise tax on small business. i would not raise taxes on small businesses or on middle class america. we've also got to get regulators to see that their job is in helping businesses not killing them. big business can handle regulations by the way. it slows them down but they can handle it because they have all the lawyers in the world. you got to make it easier for small business. obama care is one of the things i heard. obama care the cost per employ

was back breaking and they couldn't finances it. so one thing we've got to do if we want to keep jobs is get rid of obama care and replace it. [applause] now by the way, let me just ask the leader over here. leader cantor, when was the last time you met with the president on the economy or jobs or budget? >> almost a year. >> we'll have to go back and check the calendar. for me to get the things done i'm going to have to reach across the aisle and meet with good democrats who love america just like you love america. and there are good democrats like that. i'm going to meet regularly with democrat and republican leaders. i won't do that once a year. i will do that frequently. we have to work together.

these are critical times. this is an election of consequence. this is an election where i think we're not just going to shape the country for four years but for a generation. so it's important we have a president who understands how to work across the aisle. i was elected in the common wealth of massachusetts. we have a few democrats in my state. my legislature is 85% democrat or was when i was governor, 85%. we had a multibillion $budget gap. we didn't go to work attacking each other. we went to work trying to do the people's business. he said the campaign is over. we cut state spending, we cut it. we balanced the budget every year. a $3 billion budget gap became a $2 billion fund. this has to happen in washington.

[applause] i want you to know i am excited about the prospects for our country. i am not down in the dumps. i know we face real challenges and concerns but the american people are creative, can do, hardworking. the american people have what it takes to come out of these tough times if we got the right person leading our nation. [applause] and if we pull together. the seen the greatness of american spirit time and again. over my lifetime i've seen something about the great character of the american heart. i have a favorite story i've been telling across the country about a time when i served as a boy scout leader. we have a few here. thank you for helping in that

program. i was at the court of honor room. boy scout court of honor is where you get awards. i was seated at the end of the table next to the american flag that was there. and the person who was speaking at the podium was the scout master from colorado. and he spoke about how his troop wanted to have a very special american flag. so they bought one with gold tassels around the outside. they sent it to the capital and it was flown there. they contacted nasa to take it's on the space shuttle. he said the boys were so proud knowing it was going up and they saw it explode on tv. and he contacted nasa to see if they found any remnant of the

flag. nothing. he called for months still nothing. then he was reading an article and they mention t something about a flag. hell called nasa and they said we have a presentation to make to you and your boys. so they came together and they were presented with this container and he said we opened the container and there was our flag in perfect condition. [applause] and then he said that's it on the flag pole next to mr. romney. and i reached over and pulled out the flag and it was as if electricity was running through my arm. because i thought about the people on that mission and thought about the people in our space program that put themselves in harm's way recognizing they are promoting

learning, pioneering for us. they have give of themselves to others. our men and women in uniform give and have given of themselves for us to protect our freedom to promote our prosperity and way of life. there are so many heroes in our society. it's part of the american experience to live for something bigger than yourself. i think we're a nation of heroes. they say being a hero is not being bigger than life, it's being bigger than yourself. and americans live for things bigger than themselves. i think of all the single moms who right now are scrimping and saving to make sure they have a good meal to put on the table at the end of the day for their children. my sister is in her 70's and she has eight children. and the first seven are all married with children of their own t.

seventh was born down syndrome. her husband passed away. linda devotes her time to her son to make sure he lives as abundant life as he possibly can. she's a hero to me. [applause] i think of all the couples across america who have decided not to exchange gift this is year so their kids can have more christmas. i think of all the dads and moms working two jobs so they can buy the clothes for their kids the other kids are wearing at school so they won't stand out. we're a nation of big hearts who care about things bigger than ourselves, our families, our parents, our community, our schools, our churches, our state, our nation.

it's who we are as a people. and this is a critical time for us. i know the people of virginia have very clear eyes. you can see the consequence of this election. i know as americans you have full hearts. there was a tv show sometime ago about a fictional football team that on the way out to the gridiron they would touch assign as they walked out the door it said clear eyes, full hearts can't lose. and i'm convinced that we're going to come together on november 6 with your clear eyes and full hearts, we cannot lose, we've got to bring back america and keep this nation strong and build an economy that puts our people to work that guarantees a bright future for our children. i love you. i thank you. we're going to win with your help. thank you. thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> presidential candidate mitt romney wrapping up the second of

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>> friday, with four days before the election, they will kick up what they call the real recovery road tour. they're joined by former secretary of state condoleezza rice, new jersey governor bobby jindal, and arizona senator john mccain. live friday at 7:30 eastern on

c-span. also on friday, penn state univ. roddy -- rodney erickson talks about presiding over the university as they deal with the jerry sandusky sex scandal. that is live at 1:00 p.m. eastern. >> a few minutes ago, i called a vice president bush and congratulated him on his victory. i know i speak for all of you and all the american people when i say that he will be our president and we will work with him. this nation faces major challenges ahead and we must work together. >> i have received a telephone call from governor dukakis. [applause] i want you to know he was most gracious.

his call was personal. it was genuinely friendly and was in the great tradition of american politics. [applause] >> this weekend on american history tv, 20 years of presidential victory and concession speeches. what sunday at 7:00 p.m. eastern and pacific. >> a look at the role virginia is planning as a battleground state in the elections. we hear from the director of the university of virginia center for politics. this is 30 minutes. host: all week long we have been highlighting key battleground states in campaign 2012. today we put the spotlight on the state of virginia, the commonwealth of virginia. 13 electoral votes in this state. the current unemployment rate is 5.9%. state by over six percentage

points, the first time a democrat won the state of virginia since 1964. joining us from the university of virginia is the director of their politics center. larry, what are the issues being campaigned on in virginia? guest: the same issues as. every as the economy is for most, i suppose. if there's any special flavor into virginia, we cover all 50 states at the center for politics at the university of virginia, if there's any special flavor here, virginia depends on defense to a greater degree in than any other state except for alaska. we are second in per-capita defense expenditures. there's a special flavor on federal spending, because governmental employment is so important, not just in northern virginia, which borders on d.c., but also in hampton roads, the hampton roads area off

virginia beach and the surrounding localities. host: what are the demographics of the state of virginia? guest: as with most larger population states, there are many states in one. you have northern virginia, which is about a third of the state's population, now produces 30% of the vote, if not more. that has a low-debate. that particular population is national and international in scope. it is the highest income region. it has the people with the highest educational levels in the state on average. it tends to be the most democratic region. if you go down to and tidewater, roads, that is a heavy defense industry area. it is both white-collar and blue-collar, also has a large african-american population.

and it also has a relatively low nativity rate, that is people not necessarily born in virginia, due to the influence of the navy. the navy brings lots of people in from across the nation and across the world. the richmond area is an urban area, but it's probably the most conservative urban region in this area and maybe one of the most conservative in the country. of course, is a traditional area, particularly because of the west side of richmond, the city of richmond, the east side is heavily african-american and the west side is predominately white and his conservative with a high nativity rate. some of the surrounding counties have become more diverse over the years, but by and large it is also a conservative suburban ex-urban area. those are three. you may include far south virginia and a world unto itself.

it used to be substantially republican, but mountain valley republican, a more liberal republican flavor intuit. then it went democratic and now it's very conservative republican, in part because coal is such a major part of the economy down there. and there is outside virginia, on the north carolina border, many of those counties are majority african-american, 40% or so. the piedmont, which includes the city of charlottesville, a very mixed region of democratic and republican localities. by and large, you break virginia down into an urban, suburban, ex-urban, rural, which is now under 20%. the most important swing areas are loudoun county, prince william county, northern virginia, probably in chesterfield, richmond, chesapeake, suffolk, virginia

beach, and the tidewater area. host: if you look at the map of voting in 2000 aid and 2004 for the state of virginia, you can see a lot of red, but the president won the state of virginia by six percentage points in 2008, winning the northern virginia area around washington, d.c. and some around charlottesville as well and a couple of the counties in the tidewater region. you can see it is compared with 2004 when george w. bush won the state. you can see that president bush won more of the tidewater region than did john mccain in 2008. if you were president obama and you were mitt romney, where would you focus your resources, larry?

guest: you can tell by where they are visiting. romney spends a lot of time in the richmond area. he needs a big vote out of those localities, some of which voted for president obama. other various conservative localities like chesterfield county went as high as 45% for president obama in 2008. there's no way for republicans to win statewide and allow centreville to get 45% of the votes to obama. they're both campaigning in northern virginia. it is the linchpin of a statewide victory for president obama. he needs to do well in the big, growing burgeoning prince george county and loudoun county, as well as fairfax. yes, the two areas are small, but trees and rocks and acres don't vote, at least in most states and localities.

host: what kind of the voting system is used in virginia? guest: the computerized systems are used almost everywhere. we have eliminated paper ballots accept as a backup in case of emergency. we don't have a lever machines anymore, that i grew up with. i am a native virginian. we thought the lever machines were pretty neat, but they are long gone. now you have computerized machines almost everywhere in one form or another. host: some of the demographics of the state, 64.5% white. 19.8% black. hispanic population, 8.2%. the lead story in the wall street about the latino vote nationwide, what about in virginia when it comes to the latino vote? guest: those figures are a

little deceptive, because you are talking about population. in my field, we look at the registered group. we look at those that have a greater propensity. propensity go whites tend to be over 70% of the actual election day turnout. african-americans, it varies. that can be as low as 15% and as high as 20%, as they were in the 2008 presidential election. hispanics are a small slice, but a growing slice in virginia. this is not colorado or nevada or mexico. nonetheless, hispanics in virginia, as in many of the other states, to be very heavily democratic. and so, to the extent they turn out, even if they are only 4% of the statewide votes in any given year, they can assist democrats. let me mention asian americans, because they have become increasingly important in

virginia, even though they are a small percentage of the population and the registered population. in northern virginia in particular, they have become exceptionally active. they give a lot of money to candidates. they are predominantly democratic, although slices of the asian-american population, such as vietnamese americans, will support republicans. it goes to show that in a diverse population, virginia has become tremendously diverse. when i was growing up, the white turnout on election day was about 85% of the total. as i mentioned, it's low 70's today. that makes a giant difference. you can tell it in the election results. even a small slice of the population can have a big impact in a state that is increasingly diverse and increasingly politically competitive. such as virginia and many other states are. host: the director of the center for politics that at the

university of the virginia is with us. if you would like to talk with the professor, we will put the numbers on the screen -- remember, 202 in the area code. you can also contact us via social media. twitter, facebook, and e-mail. larry, what is the center for politics and what do you all cover? guest: expressing. the university of virginia center for politics, which is online, is a disorganization and refocus on citizen participation - is a diversity organization and it focuses on citizen participation. we have a couple million young

people in elementary and secondary schools participating in all 50 states, defense department schools around the world, we tally that up and they go not just for president but on all other local races for senate, house, and governor, and so on. it get them involved and they get a lot of training and head of the election. we have our crystal ball operation of. every thursday morning at 6:00 a.m. we come out with our latest projections and predictions on the elections. last week recalled the house of representatives for the republicans. we believed they will get about the same number of seats they have right now. today at 6:00 a.m. this morning, crystal ball, we call the senate is leaning heavily toward the democrats, we think they will get 52 seats. atentially, we're looking

the status quo election in congress,. on monday we come out with our final electoral college map in which we protect all 50 states and the district of columbia, which is easy to project. but that should be fun. we have been lucky, four your years ago we got every state correct and where off by one electoral vote. we missed on one. and i no longer visit omaha as a consequence. host: there's quite a senate race going on, car race between tim kaine and george allen, two former senators. guest: we have called it one of the closest races for the senate but we have tipped it to tim kaine. i relied pretty heavily on not just pulling averages but private tracking that i trust and views of people who have been around this state and its politics for decades.

that expert judgment, that professional judgment, i think it's quite significant. the question is, how could george allen win? he could win if mitt romney, because of may be a bad jobs report tomorrow, picks up a lot of steam over the final weekend and ends up winning virginia, which is currently too close to call. it is one of the closest in 50 states between the presidential candidates. if romney wins by 3 points or so, he could potentially pull george allen to victory, just as i think coattails are playing a big role across the country in a lot of races. we think that elizabeth warren is going to win in massachusetts. she's going to defeat incumbents got down because president obama will get most of the vote. there's a weak candidates in north dakota, a republican, who we think he's going to pull it out because romney will be the winner of 56% and the coattails will pull him across. the stamping applies in

virginia. host: have you called the race for romney or obama in virginia? guest: we will do that on monday. we believe virginia, colorado, wisconsin, iowa, new hampshire, are the ones that are the closest. we based that not just on bowling averages but on very good sources in those states. they hold the key to the election. for those who think romney will carry ohio, maybe they are right, but we don't see it that way. if we have that leaning obama. we shall see on monday whether any of them slip. we are monitoring them on an hourly basis. we are looking to the jobs report on friday. it may be the last piece of new information that could affect the election. host: any fallout or benefit from hurricane sandy for the candidates? becomingthink it's clear that this has been a plus for president obama.

how big, we will see. if you are the incumbents and you're in a tough race, what do you want to do? you want to look presidential. that's a great advantage of incumbency. that is precisely the way he has looked, with the help of his new best friend chris christie. i guess bill clinton will have to step aside. he was the president's new best friend. now it's chris christie. with that bipartisan blessing, the president looks good. for mitt romney, he was pushed off the stage. this storm was a kind of circuit breaker for about three days. momentum, at least according to the romney camp, had been building up for romney. you lose that. politics is not just about the national voter choice. there's a big dial-up emotions included in this. i think the air went out of the balloon to a certain degree for romney during those three days.

does he have time to regen? of course. we are back in the campaign today and will be back at a fever pitch by monday night. look at where the candidates are going. that tells you where the race is really close. they are trying to get that extra point to win. you can do it if you finish up a campaign in a particular states, if the rally is good and everything clicks and you dominate the press in the final 12 hours to 15 hours, you might get an additional point or two out of the few remaining undecided. host: the first call comes from frank in burke, virginia. caller: thank you to c-span. i want to talk about the balance in fairfax county, the most populous county in virginia. we have electronic and paper. they are outdated and they were supposed to have been disposed of five years ago.

yet the options of paper or electronic when you go to vote. they're not just for emergency. guest: sometimes paper is better. i know it's not environmentally sound, but the more i look at the the ballot questions, the more i am always attracted to paper ballots. they are simple. as long as they are carefully guarded -- and that's always a problem in certain areas of the country -- they can be superior to these fancy machines. i salute you for being vigilant. i think people on both sides need to be vigilant. people have to have confidence in the results. although i would also caution people against too many conspiracy theories. i've heard them on the left hand on the right. i guarantee, whatever party loses on tuesday, it will take until wednesday noon for the conspiracy theories to start about how the election was stolen.

we all have a responsibility not to live permanently on the grassy knoll. host: ryan in springfield, tennessee, republican. caller: can you hear me? host: we are listening. caller: the congressional races, there are four of them in virginia. all three of them are republicansi who picked up democrats. i want to hear him talk about those four races. i believe republicans will hold those three but i think frank could in the future go to a democrat, his seat. i think frank connolly will hold on. i wonder if he thinks there will be a couple of upsets in senate races too? shelly berkeley will defeat her opponent in nevada and i think todd akin will be the winner in

his race. host: is this a hobby of yours to follow politics? caller: yes. guest: i'm happy to answer a fellow hobbyists. it becomes your vocation if you let. in virginia, i can simplify the current situation for you. all the incumbents are going to win. they have done a marvelous job working with the state legislature in creating districts that it would be very difficult for them to lose them. so they get my gold star for self-serving artistry. that happens all over the country. so you are not gone to see any change in the virginia delegation this year, i don't believe. they all benefited from redistricting, democrats and republicans alike. as far as frank wolf, he is as secure as you can get. once he retires -- and he's

been in there since early 1981 -- that district being located primarily in northern virginia in the more populous counties but also some more rural counties, that could be a competitive district. i think you are right about that. as far as the senate races, we believe dean heller will defeat shelley berkeley. it will be close. the democrats are doing well. we believe president obama will in nevada and the hispanic vote plays a big role. an upset is not unheard of, given these circumstances. i would not rule out berkeley entirely, by any means, but i think dean heller will manage to win a close election because he's the incumbent. as far as missouri, we kept that open for a while. let's be honest, the republicans are apoplectic about todd akin. the republicans managed in their primary to find the the

one candidate who could've lost to claire mccaskill. mitt romney is going to win 55% in missouri this year. i think any respectable republican who did not put both feet in his mouth would have carried that race. we now think claire mccaskill has a lead to a large enough to survive the romney landslide in missouri. also, there is a libertarian on the ballot there. that percentage will surprise you. that's where a lot of republicans who will not support todd akin and will not support claire mccaskill will go, i think. that should enable claire mccaskill to hold received another six years. host: when you look at virginia, what will you be watching on election night? guest: i want to see -- you always watch the first votes to come in. and it varies from year to year.

they come in from different places, so you have to know the history of each city and county and even the precincts, to know the results. i will look at the critical swing counties in northern virginia, loudoun county and prince william county. i will be looking at chesterfield, richmond, enrico. i want to see if he will get over 40%. if he's in the 30's in chesterfield, that's a bad sign for him. i will look for virginia beach, which is virginia's largest city in population. fairfax is the largest county and the largest locality, but virginia beach is the largest city. it tends to be more conservative and republican because of a large military population and retired veteran population as well.

john mccain carried that very narrowly. it was practically a 50-50 with obama. there's no way it's going to be that close this time. but i want to see what presented president obama gets in virginia beach. if the bows out of the water, that tells me something. if it's a close race, that tells me something. just a few examples. host: washington, d.c., on our independent line. caller: i am interested to know where you think independent voters are going to go in this election. i don't mean just in terms of republican or democrat. how are the third party candidates going to affect the election? in particular, gary johnson? a lot of people tend to think he will take away votes from the republican nominee, but i think in new mexico and michigan he is taking votes away from obama.

if you could give me some insight into what you think will happen there. guest: that is a good question because we tend to oversimplified about independent and third-party candidates. we need to remember first of all some people turn out to vote for them that would not make a choice between the two major party candidates. maybe they would show up and vote for a member of congress or the local sheriff, i don't know. but it is not as though all of those votes are taken from a major party candidate. that is simply not true. having said that, it is true some votes are taken from major party candidates. if you only have a choice of a democrat or republican, some would make a choice. libertarians in general take a few more votes from republicans than democrats. maybe more than a few votes. it depends on the state and the

race and the circumstances. gary johnson, i think, will take more votes from mitt romney than barack obama but i do not think it will make a difference in any state unless we have three, four, five states that are squeakers and then you get in a situation like 2000 with ralph nader. realr as gary johnson's impact, let's put it in context. since libertarians have run for president in the modern era, they have only one more than 1% a single time, i think it is 1980 when mr. clark was running against reagan and jimmy carter. otherwise they get about a half a percent or less of the national vote. even ron paul got half a percent, a belief, when he ran in 1988. so we are not talking about a whole lot of votes. so, they could be critical votes in certain states that are very close. we have an independent in virginia, former congressman virgil goode who once

represented the area i am in right now, fifth district of virginia. he was a very popular congressman. he lost a reelection in 2008 in the obama wave by just a tiny number of votes, about 700. it was the closest congressional race in the entire country in 2008. he's got strong support on the north carolina border. he is a very conservative republican. he is running as the constitution candidate because he thinks mitt romney and the republicans are too liberal on immigration and other issues. how many votes will begin? i don't have a clue. he shows up in polls at 1% or 2%, but people tend to respond to polls more favorably to third-party candidates than they act on election day and it is behavior on election day that matters. if virginia turns out to be 10,000 votes between romney and obama and virgil goode its

25,000 votes, you could make the argument he might have cost mitt romney the state. but otherwise i doubt it. and there is a liberal candidate, jill stein, the green party candidate. i doubt she gets a very much support. >> a few minutes left with our guest larry sabato -- host: a few minutes left for our guests larry sabato. hi, rose. caller: i am so glad to get on to talk with you. i have issues if i could take a little time. it is called the koch brothers issues. there was a national geographic documentary and i am quoting a lot of it, where they were born and raised in russia and they inherited a lot of money and they are actually communists. so all the republican party kind of liens on their side. money is not given away -- some people just give money away or they loan it to you, but if you

are going to give money for a republican to win, to buy a governor or a president, there is something you want back. all of these republicans better take in mind that they could be voting for a communist which is a movement coming into our country. the documentary says -- host: where did you see the documentary? caller: national geographic. from noon until 6:00, and half of it was about the koch brothers. but you saw it on the national geographic jenna? larry sabato, any response? guest: i am just on to say this. i never met the koch brothers

and i never -- never corresponded with them. i've got news for you. they are not communists. i am pretty sure of that. so, let me just correct the record, and i think we should go on. host: how often do voters split tickets in virginia? guest: a very good question. virginia was once the ticket splitting capital of america literally. this was back in the 1970's. we have three elected offices -- governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general. we actually had at the same time and republican governor, independent the tenant governor and democratic attorney general. one of our two u.s. senators was an independent, elected twice. an independent missed winning the governorship by 15,000 votes over a million passed in 1973.

we were the ticket splitting capital of america. we have cents settled back into partisan voting with the rest of america. this is a very polarized era. having said that, when you have close elections you still have a band of voters who will mix and match on the ballot, either because they want to mix and match or they are simply reacting to the individual candidates. in the case of romney and kaine, i have personally been in situations where straw votes were taken among large groups and you generally find you have 3, 4, 5% of the romney boaters picking tim kane for various reasons. some of these romney voters are more moderate republicans and the like tim kane better than his opponent. are there similar voters for obama and george allen?

i am sure there are. i never met one of them. but i will say this -- george allen, despite what happened in 2006, he has won from time to time in running for statewide office 15% of the african- american vote. there would be a case in some precincts where you find some obama-allen voters. it will be interesting to see what the ticket-splitting pattern is. i can clearly see and most observers have come across the same thing, i can clearly see a band of voters who vote for mitt romney who also would for tim kaine. host: finally a tweet -- guest: it is a major force in the republican party. they strongly support people like our current attorney general ken cuccinelli. a major force in the republican party. they could easily dominate any republican convention. we've got a convention picking the republican nominee for governor, lieutenant governor,

an attorney general to be held next spring. you can expect a tea party influence to be high. are they at all influential with the democrats? of course not. do they command majority support in virginia? no. but if you are a major influence in one party it means you can get some of your people nominated to local and state office and thereby in a good year for your party, obtain power. host: larry sabato is the director of the center for politics at the university of virginia. we appreciate your time. guest: it was a lot of fun. we had a good exchange. thank you. >> tomorrow, mak naymik. then bob bennett talks about what the romney campaign is doing to win the state. he is followed by tim ryan with

an update of president obama's campaign. then the october jobs report with sudeep reddy. "washington journal" live at 7:00 eastern on c-span. >> they talk about what their candidates are doing to win the state. this is 45 minutes. host: we are back live in leesburg, va. about one hour west of washington, d.c. it is a swing the county as we go into the presidential election. joining me inside the courthouse is state delegate

barbara comstock and brian moran. if we could start with you, why is loud and a swing county? guest: it is an area that has a lot of commuters, a lot of professionals and a lot of people this year from my door knocking going around that are concerned with the increase taxes that we would secund january 1 of president obama were reelected as well as the deep defense cuts which is something that would impact our area dramatically. stephen fuller who is one of the preeminent economists and our areas of the defense cuts could cause a recession in virginia.

it would almost double our unemployment numbers. virginia has been very successful at having an unemployment rate. we have been done at 5.7%. people are very concerned about jobs. that is a number one priority. that is why we are encouraged that the numbers and support we are seeing for gov. romney this year. host: does your candidate have to win loudoun county to win virginia? guest: i don't know we have to, i expect we will. it was only a narrow margin that president obama won loudoun, the last time and it really was an aberration. virginia republicans have been winning loudoun county in 2009 when governor bob mcdonnell won this area, and then in 2010, of course our congressman frank wolfe, he is extremely popular here. he is of course on the ticket this year. he always wins resoundingly.

in 2011, we swept all of the state and local seats here in loudoun county. this year we are seeing strong support for governor romney because his message has been focused on jobs as the number one priority, much like our governor mcdonnell. in the state legislature we want to have a partner in washington who will work with us on the top priority and will work of -- with us to keep virginia's economy strong and national defense strong, because it is certainly were a lot of our jobs come from, as well as protecting our national security -- where a lot of the high-tech industry is coming from. so, it is very important we keep

being -- the low taxes that we have and keep the 21st century economy going and governor romney is the kind of partner we can continue this good practice with. host: bryan ran, chairman of the virginia democratic party. -- brian moran, chairman of the virginia democratic party. president obama won in 2008. what is your strategy to repeat? guest: i agree with much of barbour said in terms of virginia. but governor tim kaine running for senator and president obama brought a lot of of the prosperity to virginia. when they talk about less government and tax cuts, this is what it looks like. it looks like enormous cuts to defense spending. you can't have it both ways. they don't want to have any revenues to balance the books and what substantial cuts to government spending, that is what looks like in the commonwealth of virginia. when you make the draconian cuts if you will end up with thousands of lost jobs. they estimate 200,000 jobs just

in the defense industry. we may agree on the issues but we certainly disagree on how to get there. in terms of loudoun county, it is turnout. frankly, it is turn out all over the commonwealth of virginia. i say that because in 2008 we had 75% turnout in virginia. three out of four voted. it is terrific. we want that type of turnout, democrats, republicans, and independents to engage in democracy. here in loudoun, it was over 75% turnout. over 70 percent -- 77% to thousand eight and barack obama received 54% of the vote. what it means to us as we are doing everything we can to get out the vote. we have five days left. we're working on it for weeks, if not months. we have tremendous resources in virginia, a terrific ground game. we are working the early absentee voting aspect of this as well.

so, it is turnout both here and loudoun and the rest of the commonwealth. i think we have a superior ground game, a superior candidate, and consequently we will again when on november 6 and help re-elect the president of the ninth of state and re- elect governor tim kaine as yanez state senator. host: in "the washington post" is this article -- ground game has gone into hyperdrive in virginia. guest: the democrats in virginia and obama campaign has been doing this for months. they decided early to contest virginia. in fact, the president's campaign was criticized last spring for spending so much money friends end on the campaign -- front-end of the campaign. i think it was the right expenditure. we are just inundated right now, saturated by television ads.

but that is an air warw. ars our won on the ground and that those where the obama campaign is a. -- the obama campaign is superior. i traveled all across virginia, whether southwest or in swing county loudoun -- we have officers, offices, volunteers, every weekend we have a lot of the enthusiasm on the ground. people door knocking and making the phone calls necessary to get the vote out on november 6. so, i am confident we will prevail on november 6 because of the superior ground game and the volunteers turning out. we have the right message, the right candidate and we have the volunteers to support the candidacy. host: barbara comstock? guest: the ground game i'd describe it sounds more like the 2008 obama campaign than this year. 2008, republicans actually would not very competitive.

we did not have the resources that we needed because at that point, virginia had not been a swing state. this year we have over 30 offices, we have been very active. mark warner, the democratic senator, remarked when he drove around the state he was not seeing the enthusiasm he saw four years ago and he is seeing romney signs all over the place. when you drive throughout loudoun, a lot of the signs actually i down after the storm, but prior to the storm you would really see an overwhelming number of romney signs here. and also in my part of the district, fairfax county, which even goes inside the beltway, there was just an overwhelming number of romney signs. we hear all the time people -- democrats, idds who say they voted for barack obama four years ago and are not voting for him now -- democrat, independents. they understand what our ground zero for barack obama's tax

increasest. axmaggedon -- tax increases. taxmaggedon will be here. most of our high-tech community, their businesses are under 50 employees. start of the businesses were people literally do start them in their basement. they will be hit by these tax increases because the tax increases -- about two-thirds of them hit small businesses. then you go to those defense cuts where, as we see in bob woodward's book, the defense cuts and the sequestration idea was the president's idea. he wanted cuts that would disproportionately hit our defense industry. that is not only an irresponsible thing on the national security from, something like a senator john warner -- protecting our national security and armed forces, he would never allow

those kinds of cuts and certainly strongly opposes them. our entire delegation has been working against those, but get the president says we have to tax your high-tech businesses and your defense contractors who are a lot of small contractors and small businesses, or we will take this ax to the defense industry. we do not need to do that. it is unsafe in the dangerous world we live in. we know we need to have both a strong economy and a strong defense industry, and that is what mitt romney has been talking strongly about and why we are hearing such a good response. in the same way george allen, who has been our senator, and worked side-by-side with senator john warner for years, you would probably see george allen be on the armed services committee and we would have the reputation here in virginia because he would go in with security, having served before, and his colleagues would want him in the position to have the expertise that he has from

learning to work with john warner. he would be a great partner for mitt romney protecting virginia's interest as well as our national security and also working with us to get this economy kicked into gear. virginia have been number one for jobs because we have not increased taxes. that is a record mitt romney had when he was governor. brian and i are both from massachusetts. democrat family originally. massachusetts, 87% democrat legislature governor romney had and he reached across the iowa and came up with a bipartisan solutions and was able to cut spending -- he reached across the aisle, camel with bipartisan solutions and was able to cut spending without harming critical -- host: delegate comstock, we need to get to calls as well. this is "richmond times- dispatch" -- lead story. obama-romney tide of virginia. it shows the president up a few points.

but if you go to real clear politics and look at the average, mr. romney is up by half a point. mitt romney will be in virginia today live on c-span. brian moran, when you expect your candidate to return to the state? guest: he will be hero -- be here saturday and he has been here over and over. prince william, loudoun. coming again to prince william saturday night. which is nice. it is a spillover from being a battleground state. we have all the candidates coming in on a regular basis so

fellow virginians get to see and hear from the candidates. of course, we have to put up with all of the television ads as well. but it is fun to have all the candidates in and it is important for virginians to hear from him. the president is working diligently to make sure the communities struck by sandy in new jersey and new york, working in a bipartisan way with governor chris christie from new jersey in surveying the damage. that is where government works, fema, a program governor romney called for eliminating during the republican debate -- guest: not all, absolutely false. -- governor romney said that -- he talked about not funding in -- guest: governor romney said that, talk about not funding it. only government has the opportunity to provide those services certainly in an emergency like this. fema has to respond immediately. you saw the first responders -- police, fire, the municipal services that have to respond so quickly and so well.

our hearts and thoughts go out to those affected communities and the president is responding quickly. he will get back on to the campaign trail on saturday in the commonwealth. let's go back to a lot of what barbour had to say in her presentation. 2008, the reason loudoun county went for barack obama was because they were responding to the bush presidency. during the bush presidency he took eight surplus from a year 2000 with -- took a surplus from the year 2000 and turned it into deficit by imposing the bush tax cuts that were temporary, including millionaires. what governor romney is proposing -- let's return to those policies, the eight years of george bush. and continue to give tax breaks to the wealthy.

loudoun responded in 2008. also when president obama took office in january of 2009, we were losing over 700,000 jobs a month. 700,000 jobs a month we were losing when george bush left office and president barack obama came into office. we will hear tomorrow the new jobs report, we are creating over 100,000 jobs. 5.2 million new jobs during this barack obama president's see, under 8% unemployment rate -- during this barack obama presidency. 32 months of the private sector job growth. you compare that to where we were when bush left office and the president took office. that is a remarkable improvement. that is the pathway to recovery, and president obama has been leading that. this is no time to change course

and go back to -- we don't know what we will be getting with governor romney. he was governor of massachusetts. rounding achievement was mandatory health care for everyone -- his crowning achievement. what president's day will we get from former governor romney? -- what presidency will we get? host: we will stop there. you both made your campaign statements. now we will turn it over to viewers, and if you can keep your answers a little shorter so we can get as many in. our two guests had been gracious enough to join us from the leesburg, virginia, loudoun county courthouse. about an hour outside of washington. robert in columbia, south carolina, on the democrats' line here you are first. go ahead. caller: good morning, c-span, america -- good morning, ladies and gentlemen. president obama has been studying all aspects of the job

and now the country is poised for progress. now mitt romney wants to be president so badly he is foaming at the mouth and saying anything at any time trying to hoodwink the voters. he missed his chance to beat mccain, then he would have made -- had time to make the tough decisions obama has made. now that the obama administration has made the tough decisions, now mr. romney wants to take credit and hoodwink the voters. he had a fair chance to win in 2008 and then he could decide to implement policies as far as foreign policy, health care, jobs. host: we will get a response from barbara comstock, who is one of the chairs of the romney

for virginia campaign. guest: i would just quote joe biden -- the middle class has been buried over the past four years. they have been buried because this president's economic policies failed. the president said when he came in his trillion dollars stimulus would get unemployment well under where it is now. he said that he was going to cut the debt that was $10 trillion in half, down to $5 trillion. now it is $16 children. he failed by a factor of three times what he said he was going to do. his health care bill, a huge government monstrosity, not something done at the state level, would end up costing us $2,500 more in premiums when he said it was going to be less -- that it would be $2,500 less. the president himself said if he

did not get this done, if he did not turn this economy around in three years it would be a one- term proposition. i agree with him, and that is why we are looking to mitt romney -- i was talking before about how romney cut the budget in massachusetts. on a bipartisan basis with 87% legislature and that the same time he cut taxes 19 times. do get -- to get massachusetts democrats to cut taxes, you have to come in with good policies which governor romney understand as a business person and understands as somebody who was at the olympics and had to turn around the deficit and make the turnaround less than four years. when he went into the olympics, he had less than three years to turn it around and take the scandal that plagued mess. he did it and no salary. he was both governor and worked at the olympics and never took a salary. he believed in public service. he did it for the olympics to

great national acclaim, he has done it with a business, and he did it flew taxachusettes. if he can do it with the democrats taken do it with congress. host: this one is for you, brian moran. maria on the republican line. caller: i just wanted to ask a question. i am a mother of four. i lived in loudoun county. i have lived here 10 years. i work for a small business. hasn't see what mr. obama done in the last four years to help me. the business i work for is not hiring. they don't know what to do with obamacare. this is a company that was built from nothing and they are paralyzed. my kids -- i pay more for gas. you talk about loudoun in 2008, and it was not about the bush tax cuts. i have lived here for 10 years. it was people's visceral

reaction to the war. i have not seen anything from mr. obama in the last four years. my husband lost his job and all of my neighbors tied to the defense industry are so nervous that they are going to be next. i do not know how you can say mr. obama has done anything for loudoun county. host: let's get an answer from the chairman of the democratic party. guest: thank you for the question during the war that people were concerned about in 2008 has been ended. it was president obama who brought the termination of the war in iraq, and withdrawing troops from afghanistan and now prepared for nation-building here at home rather than afghanistan and iraq. that war has been brought to an end by the president. in terms of locally, the president -- the fact of the matter is, as a said earlier, 700,000 jobs a month, over 700,000 jobs a month we were losing at the termination of the bush presidency.

we are working our way back. this is a fiscal ditching that was deep. that is why it is no time to turn to the same policies that got us into it in the first place. that is why the president is talking about small businesses -- the payroll tax cut. he also saved the auto industry versus governor romney who said let it go bankrupt. hundreds of thousands of jobs associated with the auto industry in america. 5.2 million new jobs. 32 straight months of private sector job growth. now, those defense cuts, here in virginia it is a very important local issue. who is going to get out of some of the tax cut -- i mean, defense cuts. let's remember how we got there. it was the republican congress

who said we are not going to raise the debt limit, and that is why this came to be. they were not going to raise the debt limit. which every economist in the country said it would put us and an economic spiral. we have to raise the debt limit. they negotiated back and forth and ended up with these defense cuts. but that was not the president's idea and not the democratic congress' idea. when you hear the republican party and particularly governor romney saying we will cut -- and his vice president, paul ryan, less government, more cuts. what does it mean? it means the very cuts we are looking at now in defense. 200,000 jobs in virginia. let's examine the entire

picture and not just listen to those ads that somehow are letting the defense cutbacks at governor tim kaine who was not an office or the present. this is because the republican obstructionist congress saw political opportunity and said we are not going to raise heavy debt ceiling. how irresponsible? host: let's go to the next call. kentucky on the independent line. debbie. please, go ahead. caller: i am calling because of all of this -- what he did, the damage in new jersey. that is just for him to get help. he has not done nothing for us for the last four years. that president did nothing but put us all and the poor house. my husband is a welder and he lost his job and got another job, lower pay, and we are about to lose our home and everything because of obama. now, i don't know who to vote

for, but it sure will not beat obama. host: that was debbie in kentucky. chairman moran, calling from kentucky and south west virginia is a different animal than a lot of parts of virginia. what is your message to south west virginia? guest: the same message as i talk to voters here in northern virginia. we cannot return to the same economic policies that got us into this fiscal ditch in the first place and that is what governor romney is proposing. again, 5.2 million new jobs, 32 straight months of private sector job growth. 7.8% unemployment. south west virginia -- education is important. guest: coal is important -- guest: taking down on how often i am interrupted.

health care -- 1.2 million medicare recipients here in virginia now have eight additional years on medicare with extended medicare for another eight years. a healthy system. 63,000 young virginians have access to health care up to the age of 26. seniors now have access to preventive health care services, which is far cheaper treating it up front and an emergency room. we extended what governor romney did in massachusetts and did it nationwide and virginians have experienced improved health care and access because of that. education -- the president has been working on higher education higherpell grant access. -- higher education, grant

access. a young woman told me i am not a democrat or republican, but i am supporting president obama because i am attending a local community college on a pell grant and president obama who doubled the size of pell grants so all of americans have access to higher education. if you look at the unemployment rate, if you have a bachelor's degree, 4%, associate's degree, about 6%. but if all you have is a high- school diploma, it is double digits. the president understands it. he is investing in higher education through excess of pell grants so all americans have access to grow -- better skill and be able to compete. host: what is your candidate's message to southwest virginia? guest: south west virginia understands that they have been buried by this administration because of their policies on coal. this administration, this party has just been extremely hostile. they have killed the coal industry. one promise barack obama cap --

he said if you want to start a new coal plant, you will go bankrupt. we lost 1200 johnsburg recently -- 1200 jobs recently. it is not just a problem for south west virginia c coal is part of where we get our energy and a lecture city. it provides affordable energy here in loudoun county where we have data centers. i passed a bill to give a better tax treatment to data centers to come in here and grow them through what virginia and here in loudoun county. we recently had new companies coming in and do this, but they depend on low-cost, affordable energy. and this administration is driving the cost of energy up and driving people out of work. those people who lost those 1200 jobs at good, high-paying jobs. they had health care. they were able to pay for retirement, help their kids go

to school. now they have lost their jobs and this administration is absolutely opposed to this industry in a way -- you have not seen barack obama go down to that area. mr. romney has been down there, paul ryan. they have gotten a huge, strong response. in 2010, rick boucher who have been there for years, was beaten by the republican candidate, morgan griffith, who was the majority leader of the house of delegates. very strong support in southwest virginia because they understand governor romney has a plan for energy. host: we will have to leave the answer there. we appreciate your time. barbara comstock one of the co- chairs of the romney for virginia campaign and primary and is chairman of the virginia democratic party. pat is on our democrats' line.

caller: i worked for $12 an hour under bush, under carter -- under clinton. i worked for $12 an hour. under bush, people working for 7-something an hour. bush destroyed the country. then he turned around and put us in two wars and turned around and try to blame it on obama and the democratic -- i am disabled now and i watch a lot of c-span. and if you watch congress, republican congress is destructive and they have brought the country to its knees. host: barbara comstock, if you would answer that along with this tweet -- true?

guest: no, look what governor romney wants to do is much like what we did a virginia. we are the number one state for jobs because we worked on a partisan -- bipartisan basis like governor romney did it. he has a record of working on a bipartisan basis whereas barack obama has actually failed on being bipartisan. and governor romney again will be bipartisan on things like offshore drilling which are other good, high-paying jobs in virginia that mark warner supports. you will be able to have a president romney work with mark warner and george allen on a bipartisan basis to open up offshore drilling which he said he would do saidday one. those are not minimum-wage jobs. they are health care. you can get pensions. it could bring millions, even billions and against the capital of east coast for energy

which governor mcdonnell wants to do. we want to partner with the legislature -- it supports it on a bipartisan basis as well as congressional leadership. but unfortunately barack obama and the democrat leadership and his party in virginia opposes the good common sense of sure drilling policies which mark warner, george alley -- george allen support. guest: why didn't you run for reelection in massachusetts? they can run for reelection. why is he losing by double digits, i think 15% in massachusetts? i have heard several times what a fine job he did in massachusetts. the singular achievement he had with respect to mandatory health care, the president adopted nationally and a nail president obama -- president obama adopted it nationally as part of his affordable care act and governor romney ran away from it as soon as he started running

for president. he is losing massachusetts overwhelming need. he chose not to run for reelection. guest: at you never wanted to be a lifetime politician -- i know it is a typical politician response. but he also has done a lot of things in the private sector. he did not feel he needed to run again. host: we will leave the discussion and move on to mike on the independent line. our guests are barbara comstock and and brian moran. caller: i am a strong democrat area and the last six to eight months, everything associated with the coal mines, we have had doubts of the people laid off. how do you think this will affect the presidential

election? a commercial came out on tv with -- how he supported the power plant to be built. everyone in this area knows mr. kaine did not want the power plant built. host: brian moran. i have been de -- guest: i have been their numerous times and governor kaine approve the permitting for the coal power plant in southwest virginia. i think that is what the caller was referencing. specifically it was governor kaine who permitted it. it is a hybrid. i think it is the innovative approach of including coal as part of a broad energy position which is what president obama

has done as well. really reaching in terms of this issue. governor kaine supported it and i was with him in front of coal miners. if you support coal, you should support miners. the republican party eradicated the benefits in terms of the spouses of coal miners who have passed away because of the dangerous work. black lung disease. if you are going to embrace coal you have to embrace the coal miners who work so hard to make sure it is a usable resource. this is a two-part position and the democrats have stood up for them. and i hope those miners will join a supporting the democratic candidate. host: our guests are in leesburg, virginia, and the next call comes from john from vermont on the republican line. caller: greetings from the

socialist paradise of a vermont where we republicans are an endangered species. just a quick comment to governor romney -- have the same problem we have in vermont. we have an out of control democratic majority in the house and the senate. so, the governor is powerless to do anything. and now we have a democrat for governor. to hang that on romney is misdirected. my question is for the lovely lady there -- rahm emanuel said never let a good thing like a hurricane go to waste. i was wondering how the virginia republican party manages to counter the great photo op the president had. and vermont had hurricane irene

last year and our governor, a democrat, made lots of money on that one. i would not want to predict the next election. but how does the virginia republican party plan to counter that? host: barbara comstock? guest: we were hit with a hurricane here, too, particularly hard in northern virginia, lost power for several days. our hearts and our prayers go out to new jersey and new york. we are all working together on a bipartisan basis. use of governor romney working to get red cross relief -- you saw governor romney. i think this is something where the country all unites together.

i would like to address, having been down to the mines myself also and knowing how strong george allen and governor romney have been in support of what is going on down there and all the jobs that have been lost, everybody knows that the democratic party has just been anti-coal. when brian ran himself for governor he attacked by a coal industry and there were all sorts of battles in the democratic primary to see who was the most anti-kohl. we need coal as part of our all of the above strategy. we need offshore drilling. we need all of these good, high-paying energy jobs and on day one, governor romney will let the offshore drilling go forward and take these regulations that have been crushing the coal industry, the middle class that has been buried in southwest virginia been very -- southwest virginia. they know exactly what joe biden has been talking about with the middle class being buried because they have been one of the top zip codes buried by the administration -- epa

regulations. brian has acknowledged the industry has been good at improving things and working well but this president has been one of the most anti-coal president's. that is why you see joe manchin, a democrat from west virginia attacking the present. people from ohio. host: thank you for that, barbara comstock. brian moran, on election night what will you be watching for? loudoun county? guest: loudoun county, prince william county, virginia beach, hampton roads, henrico county outside of richmond. we will get a good indication of those communities and the turnout. it will be at an exciting time here in virginia. we certainly enjoying the position of being a battleground state. it is turnout.

virginia voters are very informed voters. they look at the policies of both of these candidates. and we expected to be close. we made history in 2008, the first time in 44 years it helped support -- we helped support a democrat to the white house. i think we would do it again because we have the right message, the right policies. we are getting out of the fiscal ditch. host: barbara comstock, where would you be watching? guest: i will be working for the next six days, because if you come election day i will be working through 7:00 p.m., both loudoun county of fairfax county, watching closely. i have already been looking at the absentee ballot polls and getting a great response here in loudoun and my part of fairfax county. i feel very good about that . i think brian is right. we will go looking at the numbers. if you see where obama has run up the score last time, we have

had a very aggressive absentee voting record. absentee voting in person is still allowed and we extended the hours because of the storm. you can still vote from 12:00 until 8:00 in fairfax and in loudoun until 8:00, and this saturday will be the last day for absentee in person voting. we want everyone to get out and vote and uncovered their friends. -- encourage their friends. we just need a small number of people really to turn it are wrong. if you want jobs to be your number one priority, a strong economy and a strong defense we need to have for our country and to have virginia's jobs be vibrant, governor romney is someone who has worked on a bipartisan basis. george allen has the same record. host: we will get to the senate race in a minute but we will hear from wanda in a north carolina on the democrats' line.

barbara comstock and brian moran are the guests. caller: i was calling. in 2008 when president obama got in there, we were in trouble for the eight years president bush was there. i have seen a lot of changes in my life. i had children in college and they all succeeded. and when president obama did do the thing for the colleges, my daughter had came out without a whole lot of unnecessary -- having to pay back that money to her scholarship. my other daughter is still paying way over the amount and they are still suffering from that. i already voted. i did early voting.

we shouldn't be arguing back and forth about democrat and republican and whenever. because all of us will go to one heaven or one hell and there should be togetherness. all the negative ads, it does hurt the independent voters and the one out here trying to vote because it is nothing nice. it is just mean. today, i just thank you for giving me a chance to share. last monday i lost my home -- it is not even about that because i know god will take care of it. but with everything going on -- president obama came into office. i have for people disrespecting him like that because he is the president -- he did come into office, he said he could not get it done in four years. and everybody knew that. but the gas prices are not as high.

host: we will have to live there. i am so sorry. brian moran and ann barbara comstock, you each have one minute. guest: let me address the senate race. it was governor tim kaine -- we can only run one term in virginia, and we were the best manage state in the country, the best state to do business and the best state for child's lifetime success. those were third-party validators who said that. he was a tremendous governor. we do have to come together as americans. we have big challenges ahead. governor kaine can do that as the next u.s. senator and president obama has demonstrated. you have seen him with governor chris christie working together. people want to see democrats and republicans coming together to face the challenges. we have the best nation in the world.

we need to maintain the status. we are the best nation, we are great americans. and i want to make sure we continue on this path. because we have been down that road. tax cuts for the very wealthy while the rest of us have to -- where is the fair share? >> i apologize, your minute is up. barbara comstock, one minute. host: thank you very much for allowing me to be here. guest: i wanted to adjust the senate race -- tim kaine was all -- was also the person who wanted the gas tax, which even brian moran opposed, he united people it is the gas tax and also left us with a $4 billion deficit. when i came into office, governor mcdonnell closed the deficit without raising taxes. we rejected kaine's tax increase rejected 97-0 of the

house of delegates and rejected his drastic cuts to northern virginia schools of $120 million. we reopen that the rest stops that he closed. government donald open them. -- governor mcdonnell opened them. and the billion dollars in transportation we went back to work force. george allen has a reputation for balancing budgets. he did not as governor ever tried to raise taxes. he was a leader in congress not taxing the internet. the internet is such a big part of virginia business and allowing it to thrive has been great and it is a great part of george allen's legacy. looking forward to having someone in there who would be a champion for our defense industry, a champion for our tech industry and able to cut

budgets carefully without increasing taxes and being a partner for mr. romney who did it in massachusetts. if he could do it in massachusetts, he could do it anywhere. host: one of the co-chairs for romney for virginia campaign and brian moran is the chairman of the democratic party in virginia. mr. moran, i wanted to give you an opportunity to adjust this article. the attorney general cuccinelli is to probe your brother's son -- anything to say regarding your nephew? guest: i was a prosecutor for several years and we consulted a lot of people. it was very unfortunate but it was not criminal. we would welcome the investigation. he humored someone. it was very unfortunate. he learned a very valuable lesson but in a very public and embarrassing fashion. but he will recover. he is a good kid. this does make him stronger and

builds character. you cannot leave your guard down in these types of situations right now. it is unfortunate but he is going to recover and we will move forward. host: brian moran and barbara comstock, this has been c-span's look at the battleground state of virginia. and we have been live from the loudoun county courthouse and leesburg, virginia. thank you all for being with us. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> bob bennett talks about what the mitt romney campaign is doing to win that state. he is followed by tim ryan with an update of president obama's campaign. an update on the october jobs report with sudeep reddy. live, 7:00 eastern on c-span.

>> watch coverage of the presidential candidates. key debates from around the country. coming up, the montana senate debate between senator jon tester and denny rehberg. followed by a campaign rally with ann romney in columbus, ohio. friday with four days before the election, mitt romney and ann romney will kick off the recovery road toward. they will be joined by condoleezza rice, bobby jindal, rick perry, and john mccain. live starting at 7:30 eastern on c-span.

>> ok. it documents the coolidge family in the white house years and before. part of the coolidge family papers. we have one box the is just photographs. several boxes of other documents. photographs are heavy. the album should be in the back of the box. here it is. unfortunately, it is on black acidic paper. there is not much we can do about that because we do not want to change the artifact nature of the album itself. some of these pages are separating. this is a photograph of calvin

coolidge the day before he became president. he was in plymouth, vt. the visiting his father, doing some chores. this is a press photograph, so he did have the press with him. it took one photograph of him here with his suit jacket on. there is another one without the suit jacket on. >> more from the vermont historical society this weekend as "book tv," american history tv" look at montpelier on c-span 2 and friday on c-span 3. >>jon tester is being challeneged by danny rehberg. our coverage of the fourth and

final debate is courtesy of the montana tv network. this is about one hour. >> you are watching the 2012 montana's u.s. senate debate. to live for being part of our broadcast tonight. i am your moderator. on behalf of all of us here at the montana television network, i want to to for an exciting night of politics. 2012 is a watershed year in politics for montanans. every race from the president on down to the bottom of the ballot is up for a vote. we do have a historic opportunity to shape the future of our state and nation, and we are looking forward to a lively discussion on the issues between the jon tester and his challenger, danny